UC-NRLF 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF 

SALESMANSHIP 


BY 


WILLIAM  WALKER  ATKINSON 

Vi 


L.  N.  FOWLER  &  COMPANY 

7,  Imperial  Arcade,  Ludgate  Circus 

London,  E.  C.,  England 


1912 

THE  ELIZABETH  TOWNE  CO. 
HOLYOKE,  MASS. 


Copyright  1912 

By 
ELIZABETH  TOWNE 


THE   PSYCHOLOGY    OF 

SALESMANSHIP 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    Psychology  in  Business 9 

II.     The  Mind  of  the  Salesman  28 

III.  The  Mind  of  the  Salesman   (con- 

tinued)  ......  47 

IV.  The  Mind  of  the  Buyer    70 

V.     The  Mind  of  the  Buyer   (contin- 
ued)   91 

VI.  The  Pre- Approach  .... ,. .  .114 

VII.  The  Psychology  of  Purchase 137 

VIII.  The  Approach ..167  / 

IX.  The  Demonstration  193 

X.  The  Closing   . .,. 222 


OHAPTEE  I 

PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS 

Uintil  the  last  few  years  the  mere  mention 
of  the  word  "psychology"  in  connection  with 
business  was  apt  to  be  greeted  with  a  shrug 
of  the  shoulders,  a  significant  raising  of 
the  eyebrows— and  a  change  of  the  subject. 
Psychology  was  a  subject  that  savored  of  the 
class  room,  or  else  was  thought  to  be  somehow 
concerned  with  the  soul,  or  possibly  related 
to  the  abnormal  phenomena  generally  classi- 
fied as  ' '  psychic. "  The  average  business  man 
was  apt  to  impatiently  resent  the  introduction 
into  business  of  class  room  topics,  or  specula- 
tion regarding  the  soul,  or  of  theories  and 
tales  regarding  clairvoyance,  telepathy,  or 
general  "spookiness"— for  these  were  the 
things  included  in  his  concept  of  "psy- 
chology. ' ' 

But  a  change  has  come  to  the  man  in  busi- 
ness. He  has  heard  much  of  late  years  re- 

9 


10  SALESMANSHIP 

garding  psychology  in  business  affairs,  and 
has  read  something  on  the  subject.  He  un- 
derstands now  that  psychology  means  "the 
science  of  the  mind"  and  is  not  necessarily  the 
same  as  metaphysics  or  '  '  psychism. ' '  He  has 
had  brought  home  to  him  the  fact  that  psy- 
chology plays  a  most  important  part  in  busi- 
ness, and  that  it  is  quite  worth  his  while  to 
acquaint  himself  with  its  fundamental  prin- 
ciples. In  fact,  if  he  has  thought  sufficiently 
on  the  subject,  he  will  have  seen  that  the  'entire 
process  of  selling  goods,  personally,  or  by 
means  of  advertising  or  display,  is  essentially 
a  mental  process  depending  upon  the  state  of 
mind  induced  in  the  purchaser,  and  that  these 
states  of  mind  are  induced  solely  by  reason 
of  certain  established  principles  of  psy- 
phology.  Whether  the  salesman,  or  advertiser, 
realizes  this  or  not,  he  is  employing  psy- 
chological principles  in  attracting  the  atten- 
tion, arousing  the  interest,  creating  the  desire, 
and  moving  the  will  of  the  purchaser  of  his 
jgoods. 

The  best  authorities  on  salesmanship  and 
advertising  now  recognize  this  fact  and  em- 
phasize it  in  their  writings.  George  French, 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  11 

in  Ms  "Art  and  Science  of  Advertising"  says 
regarding  psychology  in  advertising:  "So 
we  can  dismiss  the  weird  word,  and  simply 
acknowledge  that  we  can  sell  things  to  a  manV 
more  readily  if  we  know  the  man.  We  can't 
personally  know  every  man  to  whom  we  wish 
to  sell  goods.  We  must  therefore  consider  if 
there  are  not  certain  ways  of  thinking  and  of 
acting  which  are  common  to  all  men,  or  to  a 
large  proportion  of  men.  If  we  can  discover 
the  laws  governing  the  action  of  men's  minds^ 
we  will  know  how  to  appeal  to  those  men.  We 
know  how  to  appeal  to  Smith,  because  we  know 
Smith.  We  know  what  will  please  Brown,  be- 
cause we  know  Brown.  We  know  how  to  get 
our  way  with  Jones,  because  we  know  Jones. 
What  the  advertiser  must  know  is  how  to  get 
at  Smith,  Brown,  and  Jones  without  knowing 
any  of  them.  While  every  man  has  his  per- 
sonal peculiarities,  and  while  every  mind  has 
its  peculiar  method  of  dealing  with  the  facts 
of  life,  every  man  and  every  mind  is  con- 
trolled, in  a  large  sense  and  to  a  great  extent, 
by  predilections  and  mind-workings  which 
were  established  before  he  lived,  and  are 
operated  in  a  manner  separate  from  his  per- 


12  SALESMANSHIP 

sonality.  Our  minds  are  more  automatic, 
more  mechanical,  than  we  are  willing  to  ad- 
mit. That  which  we  loosely  call  mind  is 
largely  the  automatic  expression  of  tendencies 
controlled  by  physical  conditions  wholly  apart 
from  conscious  intellectual  or  moral  motives 
or  qualities.  What  those  physical  conditions 
are,  and  how  the  knowledge  of  what  they  are 
may  be  utilized  by  advertisers,  forms  the  body 
of  that  new  knowledge  some  like  to  call  psy- 
chology, so  far  as  it  concerns  advertising." 
Mr.  French  has  well  expressed  the  idea  of  the 
important  part  played  in  business  by  psy- 
chology. "What  he  says  is,  of  course,  as  ap- 
plicable to  personal  salesmanship  as  to  sales- 
manship through  advertisements—  the  same 
principles  are  present  and  operative  in  both 
cases. 

In  order  to  bring  to  the  mind  of  the  reader 
the  full  idea  of  the  operation  of  psychological 
principles  in  the  sale  of  goods,  we  shall  men- 
tion a  few  particular  instances  in  which  these 
principles  have  played  a  part.  Each  reader 
will  be  able  to  recollect  many  similar  instances, 
once  his  attention  is  called  to  the  matter. 

Prof.  Halleck,  a  well  known  authority  on 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  13 

psychology  says:  "Business  men  say  that 
the  ability  to  gain  the  attention  is  often  the 
secret  of  success  in  life.  Enormous  salaries 
are  paid  to  persons  who  can  write  advertise- 
ments certain  to  catch  the  eye.  A  publisher 
said  that  he  had  sold  only  five  thousand  copies 
of  an  excellent  work,  merely  because  it  had 
failed  to  catch  the  attention  of  many,  and 
that  twenty-five  thousand  copies  could  have 
been  disposed  of  in  the  same  time,  if  agents 
had  forced  them  upon  the  notice  of  people. 
Druggists  say  that  any  kind  of  patent  medi- 
cine can  be  sold,  if  it  is  so  advertised  as  to 
strike  the  attention  in  a  forcible  manner. 
Business  life  has  largely  resolved  itself  into 
a  battle  to  secure  the  attention  of  people. ' ' 

The  same  excellent  authority  says,  regard- 
ing the  effect  of  associated  ideas:  "An  emi- 
nent philosopher  has  said  that  man  is  com- 
pletely at  the  mercy  of  the  association  of  his 
ideas.  Every  new  object  is  seen  in  the  light 
of  its  associated  ideas.  *  *  *  The  principle 
of  the  association  of  ideas  is  sufficient  to  ac- 
count for  the  change  in  fashions.  A  woman  in 
a  southern  city  had  a  bonnet  that  she  particu- 
larly admired,  until  she  one  day  saw  three 


14  SALESMANSHIP 

negresses  wearing  precisely  the  same  pattern. 
She  never  appeared  again  in  that  bonnet. 
When  a  style  of  dress  becomes  i common,'  and 
is  worn  by  the  lower  classes,  it  is  discarded 
by  the  fashionable  people.  Fashions  that  are 
absolutely  repulsive  will  often  be  adopted  if 
they  are  introduced  by  popular  or  noted 
people.  *  *  *  A  knowledge  of  the  power 
of  the  association  of  ideas  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  in  business.  One  man  has  his 
store  so  planned  that  all  its  associations  are 
pleasing,  from  the  manner  of  the  clerks  to 
the  fixtures  and  drapery.  Another  store 
brings  up  unpleasant  associations.  *  *  * 
When  negligee  hats  first  made  their  appear- 
ance, a  shrewd  hatter  sent  for  a  well-dressed 
and  popular  collegian  and  offered  him  his 
choice  of  the  best  hats  in  the  store,  if  he  would 
wear  a  negligee  hat  for  three  days.  He  ob- 
jected to  making  such  an  exhibition  of  himself, 
until  he  was  flattered  by  the  hatter's  wager 
that  the  hats  could,  in  this  way,  be  made  the 
fashion  for  the  entire  town.  When  the  col- 
legian first  put  in  his  appearance  on  the 
campus  with  the  hat,  he  was  guyed  for  his 
oddity.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  some  of  his 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  15 

friends  concluded  that  the  hat  looked  so  well 
that  they  would  invest.  On  the  following  day 
large  numbers  reached  the  same  conclusion. 
For  some  time  after  this  the  hatter  found 
difficulty  in  keeping  a  sufficient  supply  in 
stock.  Had  an  unpopular  or  poorly  dressed 
man  appeared  first  on  the  campus  with  that 
hat,  the  result  would  have  been  the  reverse. 
The  hat  would  have  been  the  same,  but  the 
association  of  ideas  would  have  differed. 
Some  of  the  ladies  of  fashion  in  a  large  Euro- 
pean city  selected  on  their  own  responsibility, 
without  consulting  the  milliners,  a  cheap 
spring  Manilla  hat,  which  was  very  hand- 
some. The  milliners  found  themselves  with 
a  high-priced  stock  for  which  there  was  no 
demand.  They  held  a  council,  bought  a  large 
number  of  the  cheap  hats,  and  put  them  on 
the  heads  of  all  the  female  street  sweepers  and 
scavengers  in  the  town.  When  the  ladies  of 
fashion  went  out  the  next  day,  they  were 
amazed  to  see  the  very  dregs  of  the  city  ar- 
rayed in  headgear  like  their  own.  It  was  not 
very  long  before  the  result  was  what  might 
have  been  expected. " 
In  a  previous  work  of  the  present  writer, 


16  SALESMANSHIP 

the  following  illustrations  of  the  effect  of 
psychological  suggestion  in  advertising  were 
used : 

The  use  of  the  "direct  command"  as  the 
"ad.  men"  call  it,  is  very  common.  People 
are  positively  told  to  do  certain  things  in  these 
advertisements.  They  are  told  to  ' '  take  home 
a  cake  of  Hinky-dink's  Soap  tonight;  your 
wife  needs  it ! "  And  they  do  it.  Or  they  see 
a  mammoth  hand  pointing  down  at  them  from 
a  sign,  and  almost  hear  the  corresponding 
mammoth  voice  as  it  says  (in  painted  words) : 
"Say  you!  Smoke  Honey-Dope  Cigars; 
they  're  the  best  ever ! ! ! "  And,  if  you  manage 
to  reject  the  command  the  first  time,  you 
will  probably  yield  at  the  repeated  suggestion 
of  the  same  thing  being  hurled  at  you  at  every 
corner  and  high  fence,  and  "Honey-Dope" 
will  be  your  favorite  brand  until  some  other 
suggestion  catches  you.  Suggestion  by  au- 
thority and  repetition,  remember ;  that's  what 
does  the  business  for  you!  They  call  this 
the  "Direct  Command"  in  the  advertising 
schools.  Then  there  are  some  other  subtle 
forms  of  suggestion  in  advertising.  You  see 
staring  from  every  bit  of  space,  on  billboard 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  17 

and  in  newspapers  and  magazines :  "Uwanta 
Cracker,"  or  something  of  that  sort— and  you 
usually  wind  up  by  acquiescing.  And  then 
you  are  constantly  told  that  "Babies  howl 
for  Grandma  Hankin's  Infantile  Soother," 
and  then  when  you  hear  some  baby  howling 
you  think  of  what  you  have  been  told  they 
are  howling  for,  and  then  you  run  and  buy  a 
bottle  of  "Grandma  Hankin's."  Then  you 
are  told  that  some  cigar  is  "Generously 
Liberal"  in  size  and  quality;  or  that  some 
kind  of  Cocoa  is  "Grateful  and  Befreshing"; 
or  that  some  brand  of  soap  is  "99.999% 
Pure" ;  etc.,  etc.  Only  last  night  I  saw  a  new 
one— -"Somebody's  Whisky  is  Smooth,"  and 
every  imbiber  in  the  car  was  smacking  his 
lips  and  thinking  about  the  "smooth"  feeling 
in  his  mouth  and  throat.  It  was  smooth— the 
idea,  not  the  stuff,  I  mean.  And  some  other 
whiskey  man  shows  a  picture  of  a  glass,  a 
bottle,  some  ice  and  a  syphon  of  seltzer,  with 
simply  these  words:  "Oldboy's  Highball- 
That 's  all!"  All  of  these  things  are  sugges- 
tions, and  some  of  them  are  very  powerful 
ones,  too,  when  constantly  impressed  upon 
the  mind  by  repetition.  *  *  *  I  have 


18  SALESMANSHIP 

known  dealers  in  Spring  goods  to  force  the 
season  by  filling  their  windows  with  their  ad- 
vance stock.  I  have  seen  hat  dealers  start  up 
the  straw  hat  season  by  putting  on  a  straw 
themselves,  their  clerks  ditto,  and  then  a  few 
friends.  The  sprinkling  of  "straws"  gave  a 
suggestion  to  the  street,  and  the  straw  hat 
season  was  opened. 

Dr.  Herbert  A.  Parkyn,  an  authority  on 
Suggestion,  draws  the  following  picture  from 
life  of  a  retail  merchant  who  is  suffering  from 
the  effect  of  adverse  psychological  influences 
resulting  from  his  pessimistic  mental  atti- 
tude. The  present  writer  can  vouch  for  the 
accuracy  of  Dr.  Parkyn 's  picture,  for  he 
knows  the  original  of  the  sketch.  Dr.  Parkyn 
says  of  the  storekeeper: 

"He  is  the  proprietor  of  a  store  in  a  neigh- 
boring city ;  but  such  a  store— it  almost  gives 
me  the  blues  to  go  into  it !  His  windows  are 
dressed  year  in  and  year  out  with  the  same 
old  signs,  and  there  is  nothing  to  give  the 
store  the  cheerful  appearance  so  essential  to 
an  up-to-date  business  establishment  But 
the  atmosphere  of  the  place  is  only  in  keeping 
with  the  proprietor.  When  he  started  in  busi- 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  19 

ness  thirty  years  ago  he  employed  eight 
clerks,  but  his  business  has  fallen  off  till  he 
does  all  the  work  himself  and  is  scarcely  able 
now  to  pay  rent,  although  competitors  around 
him  are  increasing  their  business  steadily 
every  year.  In  the  course  of  a  fifteen  minute 's 
conversation,  the  first  time  I  met  him,  he  told 
me  all  his  troubles,  which  were  many.  Ac- 
cording to  his  story,  everyone  had  been  try- 
ing to  get  the  better  of  him  ever  since  he 
started  in  business ;  his  competitors  resorted 
to  unfair  business  methods ;  his  landlord  was 
endeavoring  to  drive  him  out  by  raising  his 
rent;  he  could  not  get  an  honest  clerk  in  his 
store;  an  old  man  had  not  an  equal  chance 
with  a  young  man;  he  could  not  understand 
why  people  he  had  catered  to  so  faithfully 
should  be  so  ungrateful  or  so  fickle  as  to  give 
their  patronage  to  every  upstart  who  went 
into  business  in  the  same  line  as  his ;  he  sup- 
posed that  he  could  work  along,  as  he  was 
doing,  from  morning  till  night  without  a 
holiday  till  he  was  driven  to  the  poorhouse 
or  died,  and  although  he  had  been  in  the  same 
stand  for  fifteen  years  there  was  not  a  single 
person  he  could  call  on  if  in  need  of  a  friend, 


20  SALESMANSHIP 

etc.  Although  I  have  had  occasion  to  visit 
him  many  times  during  business  hours,  I  have 
never  heard  him  address  a  cheerful  or  en- 
couraging remark  to  a  customer.  On  the  other 
hand  he  waited  on  them,  not  only  with  an  air 
of  indifference,  but  apparently  as  if  he  were 
doing  them  a  favor  by  allowing  them  to  trade 
at  his  store,  while  others  who  dropped  in  to 
ask  permission  to  use  his  telephone  or  to  en- 
quire about  residents  in  the  neighborhood  were 
soon  given  to  understand  by  his  manner  and 
answers  that  he  considered  them  a  nuisance 
and  hoped  they  had  not  mistaken  his  store  for 
an  information  bureau.  I  have  purposely  led 
him  into  other  channels  of  conversation,  with 
the  same  result ;  everything  was  going  to  the 
dogs— the  city,  the  country,  etc.  No  matter 
what  was  talked  about,  his  remarks  were  sat- 
urated with  pessimism.  He  was  ready  to 
blame  everything  and  everyone  for  his  con- 
dition, and  when  I  ventured  to  suggest  that 
much  of  his  trouble  was  due  to  his  attitude 
he  was  ready  to  show  me  to  the  door. 
If  he  would  but  cast  his  bread  upon  the  waters 
for  a  few  weeks  by  bestowing  a  smile  here  and 
a  smile  there,  or  a  cheerful  encouraging  word 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  21 

to  this  customer  and  that  customer,  he  would 
certainly  feel  better  for  the  giving,  and  they 
would  return  to  him  a  thousand  fold.  If  he 
would  only  assume  that  he  is  prosperous  and 
proceed  to  give  his  store  an  air  of  prosperity, 
how  much  more  attractive  he  could  make  his 
place  look  and  how  much  more  inviting  it 
would  be  for  customers !  If  he  would  assume 
that  every  person  that  entered  his  store  was 
his  guest,  whether  he  made  a  purchase  or  not, 
people  would  feel  like  returning  to  his  store 
when  they  wanted  anything  in  his  line.  I 
could  suggest  a  hundred  ways  in  which  this 
man  could  employ  suggestion  and  auto-sug- 
gestion to  increase  his  business,  to  draw 
friends  to  him,  instead  of  driving  them  away, 
and  to  make  the  world  and  himself  better  and 
happier  while  he  lives  in  it." 

But,  you  may  ask,  what  has  all  this  to  do 
with  psychology  in  salesmanship— what  has 
the  matter  of  advertising,  store  display,  per- 
sonal manner,  etc.,  to  do  with  salesmanship? 
Just  this  much,  that  all  these  things  are  based 
on  the  same  fundamental  principles  as  is 
salesmanship,  and  that  these  fundamental 
principles  are  those  of  psychology.  All  that 


22  SALESMANSHIP 

has  been  said  refers  to  psychology— all  is  the 
effect  of  psychology  pure  and  simple.  All 
depends  upon  the  mental  attitude,  the  sugges- 
tions offered,  the  mental  states  induced,  the 
motive  to  the  will— all  these  outward  things 
are  merely  the  effects  of  inner  mental  states. 
J.  W.  Kennedy,  in  "Judicious  Advertising" 
says:  "Advertising  is  just  salesmanship  on 
paper ;  a  mere  money-making  means  of  selling 
goods  rapidly.  That  *  mysterious  something' 
is  just  printed  persuasion  and  its  other  name 
is  '  selling  conviction. '  Conviction  can  be  im- 
parted at  will  by  those  few  writers  who  have 
closely  studied  the  thought  processes  by  which 
conviction  is  induced.  The  mission  of  every 
ad.  is  to  convert  readers  into  buyers."  Geo. 
Dyers,  in  the  same  journal  says:  "Adver- 
tising takes  into  account  the  sub-conscious  im- 
pressions, the  varying  phases  of  suggestion 
and  association  as  received  through  the  eye, 
the  psychology  of  the  direct  command,— all 
worth  earnest  consideration,  and  seriously  to 
be  reckoned  with,  however  we  may  balk  at  the 
terms.  Seth  Brown  in ' '  Salesmanship ' 9  says  : 
"To  make  advertising  which  will  sell  goods 
requires  development  of  the  human  part  of 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  23 

the  writer.  He  must  realize  the  different 
forces  which  command  Attention,  Interest, 
Desire  and  Conviction.  The  buyer  wants 
your  goods  because  they  will  produce  for 
him  some  definite  effect  or  result.  It  is  this 
result  that  the  ad.  man  must  keep  in  mind." 

"But,"  you  may  also  say,  "after  all  this 
i psychology'  seems  to  be  nothing  else  than 
what  we  have  always  known  as  *  human  na- 
ture'—there  is  nothing  new  about  this." 
Exactly  so !  Psychology  is  the  inner  science  of 
human  nature.  Human  nature  depends  en- 
tirely upon  psychological  processes— it  is 
bound  up  with  the  activities  of  the  mind.  The 
study  of  human  nature  is  the  study  of  the 
minds  of  people.  But  whereas  the  study  of 
human  nature,  as  usually  conducted,  is  a  hap- 
hazard, hit-or-miss  sort  of  undertaking,  the 
study  of  the  mind,  according  to  the  established 
principles  of  psychology,  is  of  the  nature  of 
the  study  of  science,  and  is  pursued  according 
to  scientific  methods. 

Particularly  in  its  phase  of  Salesmanship 
does  the  study  of  human  nature  along  the  lines 
of  psychology  become  a  science.  From  the 
first  to  the  last  Salesmanship  is  a  psycholog- 


24  SALESMANSHIP  ' 

"Heal  subject.  Every  step  in  the  process  of  a 
sale  is  a  mental  process.  The  mental  attitude 
and  mental  expression  of  the  salesman;  the 
mental  attitude  and  mental  impression  of  the 
customer;  the  process  of  arousing  the  atten- 
tion, awakening  curiosity  or  interest,  creating 
desire,  satisfying  the  reason,  and  moving  the 
will—all  these  are  purely  mental  processes, 
and  the  study  of  them  becomes  a  branch  of  the 
study  of  psychology.  The  display  of  goods  on 
the  counters,  shelves,  or  windows  of  a  store, 
or  in  the  hands  of  the  salesman  on  the  road, 
must  be  based  upon  psychological  principles. 
The  argument  of  the  salesman  must  not  only 
be  logical  but  must  be  so  arranged  and  worded 
as  to  arouse  certain  feelings  or  faculties 
within  the  mind  of  the  prospective  buyer— this 
is  psychology.  And  finally,  the  closing  of  the 
sale,  in  which  the  object  is  to  arouse  the  will 
of  the  buyer  into  final  favorable  action— this 
also  is  psychology.  From  the  entrance  of  the 
salesman  to  the  final,  closing  of  the'  sale,  each 
and  every  step  is  a  psychological  process.  A 
sale  is  the  action  and  reaction  of  mind  upon 
mind,  according  to  well  established  psycholog- 

~  ical  principles  and  rules.     Salesmanship  is 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  25 

essentially  a  psychological  science  as  all  must 
admit  who  will  give  to  the  subject  a  logical 
consideration.  To  those  who  object  to  the 
term  "psychology"  because  of  its  newness 
and  unfamiliar  sound,  we  do  not  care  to  urge 
the  term.  Let  such  cling  to  their  old  term  of 
" human  nature,"  remembering  however  that 
"human  nature"  is  essentially  mental.  A 
dead  man,  a  man  asleep  or;  in  a  trance,  or  an 
idiot,  manifests  no  "human  nature"  in  the 
sense  the  word  is  generally  used.  A  man 
must  be  alive,  wide  awake,  and  in  possession 
of  his  senses,  before  he  is  able  to  manifest 
"human  nature,"  and  before  his  "human 
nature"  may  be  appealed  to  according  to  the 
well  known  principles.  "Human  nature" 
cannot  be  divorced  from  psychology,  try  as 
we  may. 

We  do  not  for  a  moment  wish  to  imply  that 
Salesmanship  is  entirely  dependent  upon  a 
knowledge  of  psychology.  There  are  other 
factors  concerned.  For  instance,  the  sales- 
man must  possess  a  practical  knowledge  of 
his  goods;  of  the  seasons;  of  the  trend  of 
if  ashion  in  relation  to  his  line ;  of  the  adaptabil- 
|ity  of  certain  goods  for  certain  sections.  But, 


26  SALESMANSHIP 

waiving  for  the  moment  the  point  that  even 
these  are  concerned  with  the  mind  of  people 
at  the  last,  and  admitting  that  they  may  be 
considered  as  independent  of  psychology,  all 
of  these  points  will  avail  nothing  if  the  sales- 
man violates  the  psychological  principles  of 
the  sale.  Give  such  a  man  the  best  goods,  of 
the  best  house,  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  requirements  of  the  trade  and  the  goods 
themselves,  and  send  him  forth  to  sell  those 
goods.  The  result  will  be  that  his  sales  will 
fall  below  the  mark  of  a  man  far  less  well 
equipped  in  other  respects  but  who  under- 
stands the  psychology  of  salesmanship,  either 
intuitively  or  else  by  conscious  acquirement. 
Inasmuch  as  the  essence  of  Salesmanship 

^is  the  employment  of  the  proper  psychological 
principles,  does  it  not  seem  imperative  that 
the  salesman  should  know  something  of  the 
Mind  of  Man— the  instrument  upon  which  he 
must  play  in  plying  his  vocation?  Should  not 

-"Ehe  salesman  possess  the  same  kind  of  knowl- 
edge of  his  instrument  as  does  the  musician, 
the  mechanic,  the  artisan,  the  artist?  What 
would  be  thought  of  one  who  would  expect  to 
become  an  expert  swordsman  without  a  knowl- 


PSYCHOLOGY  IN  BUSINESS  27 

edge  of  the  principles  of  fencing,  or  of  one 
who  would  expect  to  become  a  boxer  without 
mastering  the  established  principle  of  boxing? 
The  instruments  of  the  salesman  are  his  own 
mind  and  the  mind  of  his  customers.  He 
should  acquaint  himself  thoroughly  with 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN 

In  the  Psychology  of  Salesmanship  there 
are  two  important  elements,  viz:  (1)  The 
Mind  of  the  Salesman;  and  (2)  the  Mind  of 
the  Buyer.  The  proposition,  or  the  goods  to 
be  sold,  constitute  the  connecting  link  between 
the  two  Minds,  or  the  common  point  upon 
which  the  two  Minds  must  unite,  blend,  and 
come  to  agreement.  The  Sale  itself  is  the 
result  of  the  fusion  and  agreement  of  the 
two  Minds-— the  product  of  the  action  and  re- 
action between  them.  Let  us  now  proceed  to 
a  consideration  of  the  two  important  elements, 
the  Two  Minds  involved  in  the  process  of 
Salesmanship. 

Beginning  our  consideration  of  the  Mind 
of  the  Salesman,  let  us  realize  that  upon  his 
mind  depends  his  character  and  personality. 
His  character  is  composed  of  his  individual 
mental  qualities  or  attributes.  His  person- 

28 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  29 

ality  is  his  customary  outward  expression  of 
Ms  character.  Both  character  and  personal- 
ity may  be  altered,  changed  and  improved. 
And  there  is  in  each  person  a  central  some- 
thing which  he  calls  "I,"  which  is  able  to 
order  and  manifest  these  changes  in  his  char- 
acter and  personality.  While  it  may  be 
argued  plausibly  that  a  man  is  merely  a  com- 
posite of  his  characteristics  and  nothing  more, 
nevertheless  there  is  always  in  each  the  con- 
sciousness that  in  his  real  "I"  there  is  a 
something  which  is  above  and  behind  char- 
acteristics, and  which  may  regulate  the  latter. 
Without  attempting  to  lead  the  reader  into 
the  maze  of  metaphysics,  or  the  pitfalls  of 
philosophy,  we  wish  to  impress  upon  him  the 
fact  that  his  mental  being  has  for  its  inner- 
most centre  of  consciousness  this  mysterious 
"I,"  the  nature  of  which  no  one  has  ever  been 
able  to  determine,  but  which  when  fully  real- 
ized imparts  to  one  a  strength  and  force  un- 
dreamed of  before. 

And  it  is  well  worth  while  for  everyone 
seeking  self-development  and  self-improve- 
ment to  awaken  to  a  clear  realization  of  this 
"I"  within  him,  to  which  every  faculty,  every 


30  SALESMANSHIP 

quality,  every  characteristic  is  an  instrument 
of  expression  and  manifestation.  The  real 
"you"  is  not  the  characteristics  or  features  of 
personality,  which  change  from  time  to  time, 
but  a  permanent,  changeless,  centre  and  back- 
ground of  the  changes  of  personality— a 
something  that  endures  through  all  changes, 
and  which  you  simply  know  as  "I."  In  the 
volume  of  this  series,  entitled  "The  New  Psy- 
chology," in  the  chapter  entitled  "The  Ego, 
or  Self"  we  have  spoken  of  this  in  detail. 
Further  mention  would  be  out  of  place  in  the 
present  volume,  but  we  may  be  pardoned  for 
quoting  the  following  from  the  said  chapter, 
for  we  feel  that  a  realization  of  this  "I"  is 
most  important  to  each  person  who  wishes  to 
master  his  own  mind,  and  to  create  his  own 
personality.  Here  follows  the  quotation: 

"The  consciousness  of  the  'I*  is  above! per- 
sonality—-it  is  something  inseparable  from 
individuality.  *  *  *  The  consciousness 
of  the  'I*  is  an  actual  experience,  just  as  much 
as  is  the  consciousness  of  the  page  before 
you.  *  *  *  The  whole  subject  of  The 
New  Psychology  is  bound  up  with  this  recog- 
nition of  the  'I'— it  revolves  around  this  *P 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  31 

as  a  wheel  around  its  centre.  We  regard  the 
mental  faculties,  powers,  organs,  qualities, 
and  modes  of  expression,  as  merely  instru- 
ments, tools,  or  channels  of  expression  of  this 
wonderful  Something— the  Self,  the  pure  Ego 
—the  'I.'  And  this  is  the  message  of  The 
New  Psychology— that  You,  the  'I,'  have  at 
your  command  a  wonderful  array  of  mental 
instruments,  tools,  machinery,  which  if  prop- 
erly used  will  create  for  you  any  kind  of  per- 
sonality you  may  desire.  You  are  the  Master 
Workman  who  may  make  of  yourself  what 
you  will.  But  before  you  can  appreciate  this 
truth— before  you  can  make  it  your  own— be- 
fore you  can  apply  it— you  must  enter  into  a 
recognition  and  realization  of  this  wonderful 
'I'  that  you  are,  to  which  body  and  senses, 
yea,  even  the  mind  itself,  are  but  channels  of 
expression.  You  are  something  more  than 
body,  or  senses,  or  mind— you  are  that  won- 
derful Something,  master  of  all  these  things, 
but  of  which  you  can  say  but  one  thing:  'I 
AM.'" 

But  remember,  always,  that  this  realization 
of  the  Ego  does  not  mean  egotism,  or  self- 
conceit,  or  comparison  of  your  character  or 


32  SALESMANSHIP 

personality  with  that  of  others.  It  is  Egoism 
not  Egotism— and  Egoism  means  simply  the 
realization  of  this  '  '  Master-Consciousness ' '  to 
which  all  other  mental  faculties  are  subordin- 
ate. If  you  want  some  other  name  for  it,  you 
may  consider  this  "I"  as  the  "Will  of  the 
will,"  for  it  is  the  very  essence  of  will-power 
—it  is,  so  to  speak,  the  Will  conscious  of  itself. 
By  means  of  the  realization,  you  will  find  it  far 
easier  to  cultivate  the  mental  qualities  in 
which  you  are  deficient,  and  to  restrain  unde- 
sirable characteristics.  The  spirit  of  the  idea 
may  be  gained  by  a  careful  understanding  of 
the  following  from  the  pen  of  Charles  F. 
Lummis:  "I'm  all  right.  I  am  bigger  than 
anything  that  can  happen  to  me.  All  these 
things  are  outside  my  door,  and  I've  got  the 
key!" 

The  mental  qualities  most  requisite  to  the 
Salesman  may  be  stated  as  follows : 

1.  'Self  Respect.  It  is  important  to  the 
Salesman  that  he  cultivate  the  faculty  of  Self 
Bespect  By  this  we  do  not  mean  egotism, 
conceit,  superciliousness,  imperiousness,  hau- 
teur, snobbishness,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  detri- 
mental qualities.  Self  Eespect,  on  the  con- 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  33 

trary  imparts  the  sense  of  true  manhood  or 
womanhood,  self-reliance,  dignity,  courage 
and  independence.  It  is  the  spirit  of  Black 
Hawk,  the  Indian  chieftain,  who,  lifting  his 
head  said  to  Jackson:  "I  am  a  Man!"  It  is 
entirely  opposed  to  the  crawling,  cringing 
"worm  of  the  dust,"  mental  attitude  of  Uriah 
Heep,  swho  was  continually  asserting  how 
humble— how  very  humble— he  was.  Learn  to 
look  the  world  in  the  eyes  without  flinching. 
Throw  off  the  fear  of  the  crowd,  and  the  im- 
pression that  you  are  unworthy.  Learn  to  be- 
lieve in  yourself,  and  to  respect  yourself.  Let 
your  motto  be  ' '  I  Can ;  I  Will ;  I  Dare ;  I  Do ! ' ' 
Self  Eespeet  is  a  sure  antidote  for  the  feel- 
ing of  fear,  e  ur  use  of  inferiority,  and 
other  negoiiv^  which  sometimes  op- 
press the  Salesman  when  he  is  about  to  enter 
into  the  of  some  "big  man."  Ee- 
member  that  the  num's  personality  is  merely 
a  mask,  and  that  behind  it  is  merely  an  "I" 
like  your  own— no  more,  no  less.  Eemember 
that  behind  the  "John  Smith"  part  of  you 
tlu  same  kind  of  "I"  that  exists 
b'  viud  ,gh  Mucky-muck"  part  of  him. 
Remember  that  you  are  Man  approaching 


34  SALESMANSHIP 

Man— not  a  worm  approaching  a  god.  Be- 
mmber  that  just  as  Kipling  says  the:  "The 
Colonel's  lady  and  Judy  O'Grady  are  sisters 
under  their  skin/9  so  are  you  and  the  big 
man  twin  "IV  beneath  the  covering  of  per- 
sonality, position,  and  outward  appearance. 
By  cultivating  the  realization  of  the  "I,"  of 
which  we  have  told  you,  you  will  acquire  a  new 
sense  of  Self  Eespect  which  will  render  you 
immune  from  the  feeling  of  bashfulness,  in- 
feriority and  fear  in  the  presence  of  others. 
Unless  a  man  respects  himself,  he  cannot  ex- 
pect others  to  respect  him.  He  should  build 
up  his  true  individuality  and  respect  it,  being 
careful,  always,  not  to  get  "side-tracked"  by 
egotism,  vanity  and  similar  follies  of  person- 
ality. It  is  not  your  personality  which  is  en- 
titled to  respect,  but  your  individuality,  which 
is  something  far  different.  The  personality 
belongs  to  the  outer  man,  the  individuality  to 
the  inner. 

One's  physical  carriage  and  attitude  tends 
to  react  upon  his  own  mental  attitude  as  well 
as  also  impressing  those  in  whose  piesence  he 
is.  There  is  always  an  action  and  reaction 
between  mind  and  body.  Just  as  mental 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  35 

states  take  form  in  physical  actions,  so  do 
physical  actions  react  upon  the  mind  and  in- 
fluence mental  states.  Frown  continually  and 
you  will  feel  cross;  smile  and  you  will  feel 
cheerful.  Carry  yourself  like  a  man,  and  you 
will  feel  like  a  man.  Carl  H.  Pierce  says  re- 
garding the  proper  carriage  of  a  salesman: 
"Bemember  that  you  are  asking  no  favors; 
that  you  have  nothing  to  apologize  for,  and 
that  you  have  every  reason  in  the  world  to 
hold  your  head  up  high.  And  it  is  wonderful 
what  this  holding  of  the  head  will  do  in  the 
way  of  increasing  sales.  "We  have  seen  sales- 
men get  entrance  to  the  offices  of  Broadway 
buyers  simply  through  the  holding  of  the  head 
straight  up  from  the  shoulders.  The  rule  to 
follow  is :  Have  your  ear  lobes  directly  over 
your  shoulders,  so  that  a  plumb  line  hung  from 
the  ears  describes  the  line  of  your  body.  Be 
sure  not  to  carry  the  head  either  to  the  right 
or  left  but  vertical.  Many  men  make  the. mis- 
take, especially  when  waiting  for  a  prospect  to 
finish  some  important  piece  of  business,  of 
leaning  the  he^d  either  to  the  right  or  left. 
This  indicates  weakness.  A  study  of  men  dis- 
closes the  fact  that  the  strong  men  never  tilt 


36  SALESMANSHIP 

the  head.  Their  heads  sit  perfectly  straight  on 
strong  necks.  Their  shoulders,  held  easily  yet 
firmly  in  correct  position,  are  inspiring  in 
their  strength  indicating  poise.  Every  line 
of  the  body,  in  other  words,  denotes  the 
thought  of  the  bearer." 

So  cultivate  not  only  the  inner  sense  of 
Self  Bespect,  but  also  the  outward  indications 
of  that  mental  state.  Thus  do  you  secure  the 
benefit  of  the  action  and  reaction  between 
body  and  mind. 

II.  Poise.  The  salesman  should  cultivate 
Poise,  which  manifests  in  balance,  tranquility 
and  ease.  Poise  is  that  mental  quality  which 
maintains  a  natural  balance  between  the  vari- 
ous faculties,  feelings,  emotions  and  tenden- 
cies. It  is  the  assertion  of  the  "I"  as  the 
Master  and  controller  of  the  mental  states, 
feelings,  and  action.  Poise  enables  one  to 
correctly  balance  himself,  mentally,  instead  of 
allowing  his  feelings  or  emotions  to  run  away 
with  him.  Poise  enables  one  to  remain  the 
Master  of  Himself,  instead  of  "slopping 
over"  on  the  one  hand,  or  of  "losing  his 
nerve"  on  the  other.  Poise  enables  one  to 
"keep  himself  well  in  hand."  The  man  who 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  37 

has  Poise  indeed  has  Power,  for  he  is  never 
thrown  off  his  balance,  and  consequently  al- 
ways remains  master  of  the  situation.  Did 
you  ever  hear  of,  or  see,  the  Gyroscope?  Well, 
it  is  a  peculiar  little  mechanical  contrivance 
consisting  of  a  whirling  wheel  within  a  frame 
work,  the  peculiarity  consisting  of  the  ar- 
rangement and  action  of  the  wheel  which  by 
its  motion  always  maintains  its  balance  and 
equilibrium.  No  matter  how  the  little  ap- 
paratus is  turned,  it  always  maintains  its- 
equilibrium.  It  is  likely  to  play  an  important 
part  in  aerial  navigation  and  mono-rail  sys- 
tems of  transportation,  in  the  future. 

Well,  here  is  the  point— be  a  Mental  Gyro- 
scope. Cultivate  the  mental  quality  which 
acts  automatically  in  the  direction  of  keeping 
your  balance  and  centre  of  mental  gravity. 
This  does  not  mean  that  you  should  be  a  prig, 
or  a  solemn-faced  smug  bore,  with  an  assump- 
tion of  supernatural  dignity.  On  the  con- 
trary, always  be  natural  in  manner  and  action. 
The  point  is  to  always  maintain  your  balance, 
and  mental  control,  instead  of  allowing  your 
feelings  or  emotions  to  run  away  with  you. 
Poise  means  Mastery—lack  of  it  means 


38  SALESMANSHIP 

Slavery.  As  Edward  Carpenter  says:  "How 
rare  indeed  to  meet  a  man!  How  common 
rather  to  discover  a  creature  hounded  on  by 
tyrant  thoughts  (or  cares,  or  desires),  cower- 
ing, wincing  under  the  lash — or  perchance 
priding  himself  to  run  merrily  in  obedience 
to  a  driver  that  rattles  the  reins  and  per- 
suades himself  that  he  is  free."  Poise  is  the 
Mental  Gyroscope— keep  it  in  good  working 
order. 

III.  Cheerfulness.  The  "bright,  cheer- 
ful and  happy"  mental  attitude,  and  the  out- 
ward manifestation  of  the  same,  is  a  magnet 
of  success  to  the  salesman.  The  "grouch" 
is  the  negative  pole  of  personality,  and  does 
more  to  repel  people  than  almost  any  other 
quality.  So  much  in  demand  is  the  cheerful 
demeanor  and  mental  state,  that  people  often 
give  undue  preference  to  those  possessing  it, 
and  pass  over  a  "grouchy"  individual  of 
merit  in  favor  of  the  man  of  less  merit  but 
who  possesses  the  "sunshine"  in  his  person- 
ality. The  "man  with  the  southern  exposure" 
is  in  demand.  There  is  enough  in  the  world 
to  depress  people  without  having  gloom  thrust 


MIND  or  THE  SALESMAN  39 

upon  them  by  persons  calling  to  sell  goods. 
Well  has  the  poet  said : 

" Laugh,  and  the  world  laughs  with  you; 

Weep,  and  you  weep  alone. 
For  this  sad  old  earth  is  in  need  of  mirth ; 

It  has  troubles  enough  of  its  own.  ftv 

The  world  prefers  " Happy  Jim"  to 
"Gloomy  Gus,"  and  will  bestow  its  favors 
upon  the  first  while  turning  a  cold  shoulder  to 
the  second.  The  Human  Wet  Blanket  is  not 
a  welcome  guest,  while  the  individual  who 
manages  to  "let  a  little  sunshine  in"  upon  all 
occasions  is  always  welcome.  The  optimistic 
and  cheerful  spirit  creates  for  itself  an  atmos- 
phere which,  perhaps  unconsciously,  diffuses 
itself  in  all  places  visited  by  the  individual. 
Cheerfulness  is  contagious,  and  is  a  most 
valuable  asset.  We  have  known  individuals 
whose  sunny  exteriors  caused  a  relief  in  the 
tension  on  the  part  of  those  whom  they 
visited.  We  have  heard  it  said  of  such  peo- 
ple: "I  am  always  glad  to  see  that  fellow— 
he  brightens  me  up."  This  does  not  mean 
that  one  should  endeavor  to  become  a  pro- 
fessional wit,  a  clown,  or  a  comedian— that  is 


40  SALESMANSHIP 

not  the  point.  The  idea  underlying  this 
mental  state  and  attribute  of  personality  is 
Cheerfulness,  and  a  disposition  to  look  on 
the  bright  side  of  things,  and  to  manifest  that 
mental  state  as  the  sun  does  its  rays.  Learn 
to  radiate  Cheerfulness.  It  is  not  so  much  a 
matter  of  saying  things,  as  it  is  a  matter  of 
thinking  them.  A  man's  inner  thoughts  are 
reflected  in  his  outward  personality. 

So  cultivate  the  inner  Cheerfulness  before 
you  can  hope  to  manifest  its  outer  character- 
istics. There  is  nothing  so  pitiful,  or  which 
falls  so  flat,  as  a  counterfeit  Cheerfulness— it 
is  worse  that  the  minstrel  jokes  of  the  last 
decade.  To  be  cheerful  one  does  not  have  to 
be  a  "  funny  man.  "VThe  atmosphere  of  true 
Cheerfulness  can  proceed  only  from  within. 
The  higher-class  Japanese  instruct  their  chil- 
dren to  maintain  a  cheerful  demeanor  and  a 
smiling  face  no  matter  what  happens,  even 
though  the  heart  is  breaking.  They  consider 
this  the  obligation  of  their  caste,  and  regard 
it  as  most  unworthy  of  the  person,  as  well  as 
insulting  to  others,  to  manifest  any  other 
demeanor  or  expression.  Their  theory,  which 
forms  a  part  of  their  wonderful  code  called 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  41 

"Bushido,"  is  that  it  is  an  impertinence  to 
obtrude  one's  grief,  sorrow,  misfortunes,  or 
"grouch,"  upon  others.  They  reserve  for 
their  own  inner  circle  their  sorrows  and  pains, 
and  always  present  a  cheerful  and  bright  ap- 
pearance to  others.  The  Salesman  would  do 
well  to  remember  the  "Bushido,"— -he  needs 
it  in  his  business.  Avoid  the  * '  grouch ' '  mental 
state  as  you  would  a  pestilence.  Don't  be  a 
"knocker"— for  "knocks,"  like  -chickens, 
come  home  to  roost,  bringing  their  chicks  with 
them. 

IV-  Politeness.  Courtesy  is  a  valuable 
asset  to  a  Salesman.  Not  only  this,  but  it  is 
a  trait  characteristic  of  gentlemen  in  all  walks 
of  life,  and  is  a  duty  toward  oneself  as  well  as 
toward  others.  By  politeness  and  courtesy 
we  do  not  mean  the  formal,  artificial  outward 
acts  and  remarks  which  are  but  the  counter- 
feit of  the  real  thing,  but,  instead,  that  re- 
spectful demeanor  toward  others  which  is  the 
mark'  of  innate  refinement  and  good-breeding. 
Courtesy  and  politeness  do  not  necessarily 
consist  of  formal  rules  of  etiquette,  but  of  an 
inner  sympathy  and  understanding  of  others 
which  manifests  in  a  courteous  demeanor  to- 


42  SALESMANSHIP 

ward  them.  Everyone  likes  to  be  treated  with 
appreciation  and  understanding  and  is  will- 
ing to  repay  the  same  in  like  form.  One  does 
not  need  to  be  a  raw  "jollier"  in  order  to  be 
polite.  Politeness— true  politeness— comes 
from  within,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
imitate  it  successfully.  Its  spirit  may  be  ex- 
pressed by  the  idea  of  trying  to  see  the  good 
in  everyone  and  then  acting  toward  the  per- 
son as  if  his  good  were  in  plain  evidence. 
Give  to  those  with  whom  you  come  in  con- 
tact the  manner,  attention  and  respect  to 
which  they  would  be  entitled  if  they  were 
actually  manifesting  the  highest  good  within 
them. 

One  of  the  best  retail  salesmen  we  ever 
knew  attributed  his  success  to  his  ability  to 
"get  on  the  customer's  side  of  the  counter," 
that  is,  to  try  to  see  the  matter  from  the  cus- 
tomer's  viewpoint.  This  led  to  a  sympathetic 
understanding  which  was  most  valuable.  If 
the  Salesman  can  manage  to  put  himself  in 
the  place  of  the  customer,  he  may  see  things 
with  a  new  light,  and  thus  gain  an  under- 
standing of  the  customer  which  will  enable 
him,  the  Salesman,  to  manifest  a  true  polite- 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  43 

t 

ness  toward  his  customers.  But  politeness 
and  courtesy  does  not  mean  a  groveling,  cring- 
ing attitude  of  mind  or  demeanor.  True 
politeness  and  courtesy  must  have  as  its  back- 
ground and  support,  Self  Respect. 

Allied  to  politeness  is  the  quality  called 
Tact,  which  is  defined  as  the  "peculiar  skill 
or  adroitness  in  doing  or  saying  exactly  that 
which  is  required  by,  or  is  suited  to,  the  cir- 
cumstances ;  nice  perception  or  discernment." 
A  little  consideration  will  show  that  Tact 
must  depend  upon  an  understanding  of  the 
viewpoint  and  mental  attitude  of  the  other 
person,  so  that  if  one  has  the  key  to  the  one 
he  may  open  the  door  of  the  other.  An  under- 
standing of  the  other  person's  position,  and 
an  application  of  the  true  spirit  of  politeness, 
will  go  a  long  way  toward  establishing  the 
quality  of  tactfulness.  Tact  is  a  queer  com- 
bination of  Worldly  Wisdom  and  the  Golden 
Rule— a  mixture  of  the  ability  to  seek  into  the 
other  person's  mind,  and  the  ability  to  speak 
unto  others  as  you  would  that  others  speak 
unto  you,  under  the  same  circumstances.  The 
trait  called  Adaptability,  or  the  faculty  of 
adjusting  oneself  to  conditions,  and  to  the  per- 


44  SALESMANSHIP 

sonality  of  others,  also  belongs  to  this  cate- 
gory. Adaptability  depends  upon  the  ability 
to  see  the  other  person's  position.  As  a 
writer  says:  " Those  individuals  who  are  out 
of  harmony  with  their  surroundings  disap- 
pear to  make  room  for  those  who  are  in  har- 
mony with  them."  When  the  keynote  of  the 
understanding  of  the  minds  of  others  is  found, 
the  whole  subject  of  true  politeness,  tact  and 
adaptability  is  understood  and  may  be  ap- 
plied in  practice. 

V.  Human  Nature.  Closely  allied  to  the 
subject  of  the  preceding  paragraphs,  is  that 
of  Human  Nature.  A  knowledge  of  Human 
Nature  is  very  important  to  the  Salesman. 
In  order  to  understand  the  workings  of  the 
minds  of  others,  one  must  not  only  under- 
stand the  general  psychological  principles  in- 
volved, but  also  the  special  manifestations  of 
those  principles.  Nature  tends  to  form 
classes  and  species,  and  the  majority  of  peo- 
ple may  be  grouped  into  special  classes  de- 
pending upon  their  temperaments.  An  in- 
telligent study  of  The  New  Psychology  and 
the  general  subject  of  Human  Nature  in  works 
on  Physiognomy,  etc.,  will  do  much  to  start 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  45 

one  well  upon  the  road  to  an  understanding 
of  Human  Nature.  But,  after  all,  the  best 
knowledge  comes  only  when  the  general  prin- 
ciples are  tested  and  applied  under  observa- 
tion in  general  experience. 

In  this  particular  work  we  have  much  to 
say  upon  certain  features  of  Human  Nature 
—in  fact,  as  we  have  said,  Human  Nature  is 
but  Psychology.  The  following  advice,  from 
the  pen  of  Prof.  Fowler,  the  well  known  au- 
thority on  Phrenology,  is  recommended  to  all 
Salesmen  desirous  of  acquiring  the  faculty  of 
understanding  Human  Nature :  ' i  Scan  closely  • 
all  the  actions  of  men,  with  a  view  to  ascertain 
their  motives  and  mainsprings  of  action; 
look  with  a  sharp  eye  at  man,  woman,  child, 
all  you  meet,  as  if  you  would  read  them 
through;  note  particularly  the  expression  of 
the  eye,  as  if  you  would  imbibe  what  it 
signifies;  say  to  yourself:  What  faculty 
prompted  this  expression  or  that  action; 
drink  in  the  general  looks,  attitude,  natural 
language,  and  manifestation  of  the  man,  and 
yield  yourself  to  the  impressions  naturally 
made  on  you— that  is,  study  human  nature 


46  SALESMANSHIP 

both  as  a  philosophy  and  as  a  sentiment,  or 
as  if  being  impressed  thereby." 

A  forthcoming  volume  of  this  series,  to  be 
entitled  " Human  Nature,"  will  go  into  this 
subject  in  detail. 


CHAPTEE  III 

THE  MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN    (CONTINUED) 

VI.  Hope.  The  Salesman  should  cultivate 
the  Optimistic  Outlook  upon  Life.  He  should 
encourage  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  good 
things  to  come,  and  move  forward  to  the  re- 
alization thereof.  Much  of  life  success  de- 
pends upon  the  mental  attitude  of,  and  the 
confident  expectation  of,  a  successful  outcome. 
Earnest  Desire,  Confident  Expectation,  and 
Eesolute  Action— this  is  the  threefold  key  of 
attainment.  Thought  manifests  itself  in  ac- 
tion, and  we  grow  in  accordance  with  the 
mental  pattern  or  mould  we  create  for  our- 
selves. If  you  will  look  around  you  you  will 
find  that  the  men  who  have  succeeded,  and 
who  are  succeeding,  are  those  who  have  main- 
tained the  hopeful  mental  attitude— who  have 
always  looked  forward  to  the  star  of  hope 
even  in  the  moments  of  the  greatest  trouble 
and  temporary  reverses.  If  a  man  loses  his 

47 


48  SALESMANSHIP 

hope  permanently  he  is  defeated.  Hope  is 
the  incentive  which  is  always  drawing  man 
onward  and  upward.  Hope  backed  by  Will 
and  Determination  is  almost  invincible. 
Learn  to  look  on  the  bright  side  of  things,  to 
believe  in  your  ultimate  success.  Learn  to 
look  upward  and  forward— heed  the  motto, 
"look  aloft!"  Cultivate  the  "rubber-ball 
spirit,"  by  which  you  will  be  able  to  bounce 
higher  up  the  harder  you  are  thrown  down. 
There  is  a  subtle  psychological  law  by  the  op- 
eration of  which  we  tend  to  materialize  our 
ideals.  The  "confident  expectation"  backed 
by  actions  will  win  out  in  the  end.  Hitch 
your  wagon  to  the  Star  of  Hope. 

VII.  Enthusiasm.  Very  few  people  under- 
stand the  true  meaning  of  the  word  '  *  enthusi- 
asm," although  they  may  use  it  quite  fre- 
quently in  ordinary  conversation.  Enthusi- 
asm means  far  more  than  energy,  activity, 
interest  and  hope— it  means  the  expression 
of  the  "soul"  in  mental  and  physical  actions. 
The  Greeks  used  the  word  as  meaning  "in- 
spiration; moved  by  the  gods,"  from  which 
arose  the  later  meaning  of  "inspired  by  a 
superhuman  or  divine  power."  The  modern 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  49 

usage  is  defined  as:  "Enkindled  and  kind- 
ling fervor  of  the  soul ;  ardent  and  imaginative 
zeal  or  interest;  lively  manifestation  of  joy 
or  zeal;"  etc.  A  person  filled  with  enthusi- 
asm seems  to  move  and  act  from  the  very 
centre  of  his  being— that  part  which  we  mean 
when  we  say  "soul."  There  is  a  wonderful 
power  in  rightly  directed  enthusiasm,  which 
serves  not  only  to  arouse  within  one  his  full 
powers,  but  also  tends  to  impress  others  in 
the  direction  of  mental  contagion.  Mental 
states  are  contagious,  and  enthusiasm  is  one 
of  the  most  active  of  mental  states.  Enthusi- 
asm comes  nearer  to  being  "  soul-power  "  than 
any  other  outward  expression  of  mental 
states.  It  is  allied  to  the  soul-stirring  impulse 
of  music,  poetry,  and  the  drama.  We  can  feel 
it  in  the  words  of  a  writer,  speaker,  orator, 
preacher,  singer  or  poet.  Enthusiasm  may 
be  analyzed  as  Inspired  Interest.  As  Wal- 
ter D.  Moody  says:  "It  will  be  found  that 
all  men  possessed  of  personal  magnetism  are 
very  much  in  earnest.  Their  intense  earnest- 
ness is  magnetic. ' '  The  best  authorities  agree 
that  Enthusiasm  is  the  active  principle  of 
what  has  been  called  Personal  Magnetism. 


50  SALESMANSHIP 

An  old  writer  has  well  said:  "All  of  us 
emit  a  sphere,  aura,  or  halo,  impregnated  with 
the  very  essence  of  ourselves,  sensitives  know 
it,  so  do  our  dogs  and  other  pets;  so  does  a 
hungry  lion  or  tiger;  aye,  even  flies,  snakes 
and  insects,  as  we  know  to  our1  cost.  Some  of 
us  are  magnetic— others  not.  Some  of  us  are 
warm,  attractive,  love-inspiring  and  friend- 
ship-making, while  others  are  cold,  intellec- 
tual, thoughtful,  reasoning,  but  not  magnetic. 
Let  a  learned  man  of  the  latter  type  address 
an  audience  and  it  will  soon  tire  of  his  in- 
tellectual discourse,  and  will  manifest  symp- 
toms of  drowsiness.  He  talks  at  them,  but 
not  into  them— he  makes  them  think,  not  feel, 
which  is  most  tiresome  to  the  majority  of  per- 
sons, and  few  speakers  succeed  who  attempt 
to  merely  make  people  think— they  want  to 
be  made  to  feel.  People  will  pay  liberally  to- 
be  made  to  feel  or  laugh,  while  they  will  be- 
grudge a  dime  for  instruction  or  talk  that 
will  make  them  think.  Pitted  against  a 
learned  man  of  the  type  mentioned  above,  let 
there  be  a  half-educated,  but  very  loving,  ripe 
and  mellow  man,  with  but  nine-tenths  of  the 
logic  and  erudition  of  the  first  man,  yet  such 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  51 

a  man  carries  along  his  crowd  with  perfect 
ease,  and  everybody  is  wide-awake,  treasur- 
ing up  every  good  thing  that  falls  from  his 
lips.  The  reasons  are  palpable  and  plain.  It 
is  heart  against  head;  soul  against  logic;  and 
soul  is  bound  to  win  every  time."  And  as 
Newman  says:  "Deductions  have  no  power 
of  persuasion.  The  heart  is  commonly 
reached,  not  through  the  reason,  but  through 
the  imagination,  by  means  of  direct  impres- 
sions, by  the  testimony  of  facts  and  events,  by 
history,  by  description.  Persons  influence 
us,  looks  subdue  us,  deeds  inflame  us."  En- 
thusiasm imparts  that  peculiar  quality  that 
we  call  "life,"  which  constitutes  such  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  personality  of  a  salesman. 
Remember  we  have  analyzed  enthusiasm  as 
inspired  earnestness — think  over  this  an- 
alysis, and  grasp  its  inner  meaning.  The 
very  word  "ENTHUSIASM"  is  inspiring— visu- 
alize it  and  let  it  incite  you  to  its  expression 
when  you  feel  "dead."  The  very  thought 
of  it  is  a  stimulant ! 

VIIL  Determination.  The  Salesman  needs 
the  quality  of  dogged  determination,  per- 
sistence, and  "  stick-to-itiveness. "  This  bull- 


52  SALESMANSHIP 

dog  quality  must  be  developed.  The  "I  Can 
and  I  Will ' '  spirit  must  be  cultivated.  Deter- 
mination is  composed  of  several  constituent 
faculties.  First  comes  Combativeness  or  the 
quality  of  "tackling"  obstacles.  This  is  a 
marked  quality  in  all  strong  characters.  It 
manifests  as  courage,  boldness,  resistance, 
opposition,  and  disposition  to  combat  opposi- 
tion rather  than  to  yield  to  it. 

Allied  to  this  faculty  is  another  which  bears 
the  very  inadequate  name  of  Destructiveness, 
which  expresses  itself  in  the  direction  of 
breaking  down  barriers,  pushing  aside  ob- 
stacles, making  headway;  pushing  to  the 
front;  holding  one's  own;  etc.  It  is  the  qual- 
ity of  the  man  who  makes  his  own  paths  and 
builds  up  his  own  trade.  It  is  the  "pioneer" 
faculty  of  the  mind  which  clears  away  the 
ground,  lays  foundations  and  builds  the  first 
log-cabin. 

Then  comes  Continuity,  the  faculty  which 
is  well-defined  as  "stick-to-itiveness,"  which 
enables  one  to  stick  to  his  task  until  it  is  fin- 
ished. This  faculty  gives  stability  and  stay- 
ing qualities,  and  enables/  a  man  to  finish  well. 
The  lack  of  this  quality  often  neutralizes  the 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  53 

work  of  other  good  faculties,  causing  the  per- 
son to  "let  go"  too  soon,  and  to  thus  lose  the 
fruits  of  his  labors. 

Finally,  comes  the  faculty  of  Firmness, 
which  gives  to  one  the  quality  of  tenacity, 
perseverance,  fixity,  decision  and  stability, 
accompanied  by  a  certain  "stubborn  tend- 
ency" which  holds  the  other  faculties  to- 
gether. A  certain  amount  of  this  quality  of 
"jackass  courage"  is  needed  in  the  mental 
make  up  of  a  Salesman.  If  a  person  is  'set'  to 
a  certain  -extent  it  enables  him  to  maintain  his 
position  without  the  constant  wear  and  tear 
upon  his  will  that  is  met  with  by  those  lacking 
it.  This  faculty  prevents  one  from  being 
"sidetracked,"  and  enables  him  to  "put  his 
hand  to  the  plow  and  look  not  backward. ' '  It 
holds  the  chisel  of  the  will  up  against  the 
metal  of  circumstances  until  the  work  is  ac- 
complished. It  enables  one  to  be  like  the  rock 
against  which  harmlessly  beat  the  waves  of 
opposition  and  competition.  It  enables  one 
to  see  his  object,  and  then  to  march  straight 
to  it, 

IX.  Secretiveness.  "We  mention  this 
quality,  not  because  it  is  one  which  plays  such 


54  SALESMANSHIP 

an  important  part  in  the  world  of  Salesman- 
ship, but  because  the  tendency  of  the  average 
Salesman  is  to  talk  too  freely  regarding  mat- 
ters which  should  be  kept  to  himself.  This 
failing  on  the  part  of  the  Salesman  is  due  to 
the  free  expression  which  his  work  necessi- 
tates. He  should  remember,  however,  that 
many  a  good  plan  has  miscarried  by  reason 
of  the  tendency  of  the  Salesman  to  "blab," 
or  to  "give  away"  his  hopes,  plans  and  ex- 
pectations. The  Salesman  should  think  thrice 
before  speaking  regarding  any  matter  of  of- 
fice or  personal  policy,  plans,  methods,  or 
other  things  which  he  would  not  like  his  com- 
petitors to  know.  It  is  a  safe  rule,  laid  down 
by  a  very  successful  business  man,  that  one 
should  "Never  speak  of  anything  that  he  is 
not  desirous  of  his  principal  competitor  hear- 
ing—for hear  it  he  will  if  one  speaks  of  it." 
The  world  is  full  of  the  "little  birds"  who  de- 
light in  carrying  tales— the  "walls  have  ears" 
with  microphone,  wirelesss  telegraphic  attach- 
ments. Be  a  diplomat  in  matters  of  the  kind 
to  which  we  have  referred.  A  little  thought 
should  convince  that  if  you  yourself  do  not 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN"  55 

respect  your  own  secrets,  you  can  not  expect 
others  to  do  so. 

X.  Acquisitiveness.  This  faculty  mani- 
fests as  the  desire  for  acquiring1  things ;  gain- 
ing; possessing;  reaching  out  for;  etc.  It  is 
often  condemned  by  people,  because  of  the 
unpleasant  traits  manifested  by  those  in 
whom  it  is  abnormally  developed,  as  the  miser, 
the  "hog,"  and  the  "stingy"  person.  But  it 
is  not  well  to  hastily  condemn  this  faculty,  for 
without  it  we  would  become  desireless,  spend- 
thrift, wasteful,  without  resources,  and  poor. 
The  man  who  would  succeed  in  any  line  of 
business  must  cultivate  Acquisitiveness,  if  he 
is  deficient  in  it.  He  must  learn  to  want  and 
earnestly  desire  the  good  things  of  life,  and 
to  reach  out  for  them.  He  must  desire  to  ac- 
cumulate something  for  himself,  for  by  so 
doing  he  will  work  so  that  he  will  make  a  valu- 
able accumulating  channel  for  his  employers. 
Acquisitiveness  is  one  of  the  animating  princi 
pies  of  the  business  world,  evade  it  though  we 
may  try  to.  It  is  hypocritical  to  deny  this.  The 
facts  are  too  plain  to  be  brushed  aside  or 
denied.  As  the  writer  has  said  in  another 
work:  "People  are  all  after  money— every 


56  SALESMANSHIP 

blessed  mother's  son  and  daughter  of  them— 
in  one  way  or  another.  What  is  the  use  of 
denying  it.  Some  day  we  may  have  better 
economic  conditions— I  pray  to  God  that  we 
may— but  until  that  time  all  of  us  must  chase 
the  nimble  dollar  to  the  best  of  our  ability. 
For  unless  a  man  does  this  thing,  then  shall 
he  not  eat ;  nor  be  clothed ;  nor  have  shelter ; 
nor  books ;  nor  music ;  nor  anything  else  that 
makes  life  worth  living  for  one  who  thinks 
and  feels.  It  seems  to  me  the  proper  balance 
is  preserved  in  the  following  statement: 
"While  you're  getting,  get  all  you  can— but 
give  the  other  fellow  a  chance." 

XI.  Approbativeness.  This  is  the  quality 
which  manifests  in  a  desire  for  praise,  flatter, 
approval,  fame,  etc.  The  average  Salesman 
does  not  need  to  develop  this  faculty— his 
temperament  is  very  apt  to  make  him  have  it 
too  highly  developed.  It  is  all  very  well  to 
feel  a  certain  pleasure  from  the  approval  of 
others  of  work  well  done.  But  it  is  a  decided 
weakness  for  one  to  be  so  sensitive  to  the 
opinions  of  others  that  they  suffer  from  their 
disapproval,  or  from  the  lack  of  praise.  He 
who  is  dependent  upon  the  praise  of  the  crowd, 


MIND  o*1  THE  SALESMAN  57 

or  the  approval  of  the  mob  is  a  fool,  deserv- 
ing of  pity.  The  crowd  is  fickle  and  tomorrow 
may  turn  on  those  whom  they  are  praising  to- 
day. Moreover  there  is  always  much  secret 
envy  and  jealousy  mixed  with  the  praise  of 
others. 

Did  you  ever  notice  how  eagerly  people  re- 
late the  slip-up  or  stumble  of  those  whom  they 
have  been  praising?  Be  not  deceived  by  the 
plaudits  of  the  crowd.  Nor  should  you  allow 
yourself  to  be  deterred  from  a  right  course 
because  of  fear  of  blame.  Learn  to  rely  on 
what  you,  yourself,  know  to  be  right.  "Be 
sure  you're  right,  then  go  ahead."  Learn 
to  stand  upon  your  own  feet,  and  do  not  lean 
upon  others.  Shake  the  crowd  off  your  heels 
—mind  your  own  business  and  let  others  do 
likewise.  And  look  the  world  squarely  in  the 
eye  while  you  are  talking  to  it,  too,.  It  will  un- 
derstand you,  if  you  do  not  truckle  to  it.  But 
never  cringe  to  it— else  it  will  rend  you  to 
pieces.  "They  say;  what  do  they  say;  let 
i  say!"  "Do  not  worry  about  it— your 
lY'cnds  will  not  care,  and  your  enemies  will 
.cise  anyway ;  so  what 's  the  use  ? ' '  Say  to 
y  rself:  "I  am  the  Captain  of  my  Soul." 


58  SALESMANSHIP 

And  remember  Burton 's  glorious  words  of 
freedom  and  courage : 

"Do  what  thy  manhood  bids  thee  do,  from 

none  but  self  expect  applause ; 
He  noblest  lives  and  noblest  dies  who  makes 

and  keeps  his  self-made  laws. 
All  other  Life  is  living  Death,  a  world  where 

none  but  Phantoms  dwell. 
A  breath,  a  wind,  a  sound,  a  voice,  a  tinkling 

of  the  Camel's  bell." 

The  difference  between  Egoism  and  Ego- 
tism consists  largely  of  the  difference  between 
Self-Eespect  and  Approbativeness.  Develop 
the  first,  and  restrain  the  second— if  you  wish 
to  become  an  Individual.  And  the  successful 
Salesman  is  always  an  Individual— standing 
out  from  and  above  the  crowd  of  the  "mere 
persons "  or  "order- taker s."  Be  a  Man,  and 
not  a  human  looking  glass  reflecting  the  ideas, 
opinions,  and  wishes  of  all  those  around  you. 
Be  creative,  not  imitative.  Flattery  is  the 
food  for  apes,  not  for  men. 

Personal  Expression.  While  one's  per- 
sonal expression  in  the  direction  of  clothing, 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  59 

walk,  voice,  etc.,  can  scarcely  be  called  mental 
qualities,  yet  they  must  be  considered  as  ex- 
pressions of  mental  qualities— outward  mani- 
festations of  inward  states.  So  true  is  this 
that  people  naturally  judge  one's  character  by 
these  outward  expressions.  And,  moreover, 
there  is  a  subtle  reaction  of  one's  outward 
manifestations  upon  one's  mental  states. 
One's  walk,  carriage  and  demeanor  influence 
one's  mental  attitude,  as  we  may  prove  by 
changing  these  outward  manifestations  and 
noting  our  changed  feelings.  As  someone  has 
said:  "The  consciousness  of  being  well 
dressed  imparts  a  certain  serenity  and  peace 
which  even  religion  sometimes  fails  to  give 
us." 

And,  as  for  physical  attitudes,  etc.,  hear 
what  several  eminent  psychologists  tell  us. 
Prof.  Halleck  says:  "By  inducing  an  expres- 
sion we  can  often  cause  its  allied  emotion." 
Prof.  James  says:  "Whistling  to  keep  up 
courage  is  no  mere  figure  of  speech.  On  the 
other  hand,  sit  all  day  in  a  moping  posture, 
sigh,  and  reply  to  everything  with  a  dismal 
voice,  and  your  melancholy  lingers.  There  is 
no  more  valuable  precept  in  moral  education 


60  SALESMANSHIP 

than  this :  If  we  wish  to  conquer  undesirable 
emotional  tendencies  in  ourselves  we  must  as- 
siduously, and  in  the  first  instance  cold-blood- 
edly, go  through  the  outward  movements,  of 
those  contrary  dispositions  which  we  wish 
to  cultivate.  Smooth  the  brow,  brighten  the 
eye,  contract  the  dorsal  rather  than  the  ven- 
tral aspect  of  the  frame,  and  speak  in  a  major 
key,  pass  the  genial  compliment  and  your 
heart  must  indeed  be  frigid  if  it  does  not  grad- 
ually thaw. ' J 

Dr.  Woods  Hutchinson  says :  "  To  what  ex- 
tent muscular  contractions  condition  emo- 
tions, as  Prof.  James  has  suggested,  may  be 
easily  tested  by  a  quaint  and  simple  little  ex- 
periment upon  a  group  of  the  smallest  volun- 
tary muscles  of  the  body,  those  that  move  the 
eyeball.  Choose  some  time  when  you  are  sit- 
ting quietly  in  your  room,  free  from  all  dis- 
turbing thoughts  and  influences.  Then  stand 
up,  and  assuming  an  easy  position,  cast  the 
eyes  upward,  and  hold  them  in  that  position 
for  thirty  seconds.  Instantly  and  involun- 
tarily you  will  be  conscious  of  a  tendency  to- 
ward reverential,  devotional,  contemplative 
ideas  and  thoughts.  Then  turn  the  eyes  side- 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  61 

ways,  glancing  directly  to  the  right  or  to  the 
left,  through  half-closed  lids.  Within  thirty 
seconds  images  of  suspicion,  of  uneasiness,  or 
of  dislike  will  rise  unbidden  to  the  mind.  Turn 
the  eyes  on  one  side  and  slightly  downward, 
and  suggestions  of  jealousy  or  coquetry,  will 
be  apt  to  spring  unbidden.  Direct  your  gaze 
downward  toward  the  floor,  and  you  are  likely 
to  go  off  into  a  fit  of  reverie  or  abstraction." 
Maudsley  says : i  c  The  specific  muscular  action 
is  not  merely  an  exponent  of  passion,  but  truly 
an  essential  part  of  it.  If  we  try  while  the 
features  are  fixed  in  the  expression  of  one 
passion  to  call  up  in  the  mind  a  different  one, 
we  shall  find  it  impossible  to  do  so.' ' 

In  view  of  the  above  statements,  we  may 
readily  see  the  importance  of  cultivating  those 
outward  expressions  which  are  co-related  to 
desirable  mental  states  or  feelings.  By  so 
doing  we  arouse  in  our  minds  those  particular 
states  or  feelings.  And,  moreover,  we  tend  to 
impress  others  with  the  possession  on  our  part 
of  the  co-related  mental  qualities.  One's  out- 
ward expression  is  a  powerful  instrument  of 
•suggestion  to  others,  and  people  are  uncon- 
sciously and  instinctively  affected  by  it,  to  our 


62  SALESMANSHIP 

benefit  or  detriment.  Let  us  therefore  con- 
sider, briefly,  the  general  principles  under- 
lying personal  expression  along  the  lines  in- 
dicated. 

Carriage  and  Walk.  In  the  first  part  of  the 
previous  chapter,  under  the  sub-head  of  ' '  Self- 
Bespect"  we  have  given  you  the  advice  of  a 
good  authority  concerning  the  proper  car- 
riage. The  key  is:  Carry  yourself  iin  a 
manner  showing  your  Self-Eespect,  Poise,  and 
Consideration  of  Others.  Another  authority 
gives  the  following  directions  for  the  correct 
position  in  standing:  "(1)  Heels  together; 
(2)  head  up,  with  chin  slightly  drawn  in  rather 
than  protruding ;  (3)  eyes  front;  (4)  shoulders 
thrown  back  but  not  elevated;  (5)  chest  ex- 
panded; (6)  abdomen  slightly  drawn  in,  and 
not  allowed  to  protrude;  (7)  arms  dropped 
naturally  to  the  sides,  with  the  little  fingers 
lightly  touching  the  sides  of  the  thigh.  This 
may  make  you  feel  a  little  stiff  and  awkward 
at  first,  but,  if  you  persevere,  will  soon  estab- 
lish itself  as  second  nature  with  you." 

Another  authority  says :  ' '  The  easiest  way 
in  which  to  acquire  a  correct  carriage  is  to 
imagine  that  you  are  suspended  from  on  high 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN.  63 

with  a  line,  the  lowest  end  of  the  line  being 
fastened  to  the  lower  end  of  your  breast-bone. 
If  you  will  stand  and  walk  as  if  you  are  so 
suspended,  the  result  will  be  that  you  will 
acquire  an  easy,  graceful,  gliding  walk,  and 
a  correct  carriage  and  natural  position. ' '  An- 
other authority^  gives  the  following  advice: 
' '  The  following  method  if  observed  in  walking 
and  standing,  will  impart  a  desirable  physical 
poise  and  will  keep  you  erect  and  in  a  graceful 
attitude  while  walking :  Stand  with  your  back 
toward  the  wall,  with  the  heels,  legs,  hips, 
shoulders  and  back  of  head  touching  the  wall, 
and  with  the  chin  slightly  drawn  in.  Press  up 
against  the  wall  firmly.  You  will  find  yourself 
in  an  uncomfortable  position,  and  one  that  is 
unnatural  and  incorrect.  Then,  keeping  your 
heels  to  the  wall,  allow  your  body  to  swing 
forward  into  a  natural  position,  being  careful 
to  keep  the  body  firm  in  the  same  'form,' 
avoiding  relaxation,  swinging  yourself  for- 
ward from  the  ankle  joints  alone.  When  you 
find  that  the  correct  poised,  natural  position 
has  been  attained,  hold  it,  and  march  forward 
in  what  will  be  the  natural,  normal,  well- 
balanced  walking  position.  Practice  thi§  re- 


64  SALESMANSHIP 

peatedly,  several  times  every  day,  until  you 
have  fully  acquired  the  habit. " 

Shaking  Hands.  When  you  grasp  an- 
other 's  hand  in  the  act  of  ' i  shaking  hands, ' ' 
do  not  do  so  in  a  listless,  cold-blooded  man- 
ner—do not  extend  to  the  other  man  a  flabby, 
clammy,  fish-like  hand.  But  take  hold  of  his 
hand  as  if  you  liked  to  do  it— throw  interest 
?.nto  the  proceeding.  More^than  this— throw 
feeling  into  it.  Throw  into  the  hand-clasp  the 
feeling:  "I  like  you,  and  you  like  me."  Then, 
when  you  draw  your  hand  away,  if  possible  let 
your  fingers  slide  over  the  palm  of  his  hand  in 
a  caressing  manner,  allowing  his  first  finger  to 
pass  between  your  thumb  and  forefinger,  close 
up  in  the  crotch  of  the  thumb.  Practice  this 
well,  until  you  can  perform  it  without  think- 
ing of  it.  You  will  find  merit  in  the  method. 
Grasp  the  other  person's  hand  "as  if  he  were 
your  best  girl's  millionaire  father-in-law." 

Voice.  The  Salesman  should  cultivate  a 
voice  with  expression  in  it.  His  voice  should 
convey  his  belief  in  what  he  is  saying,  and  his 
interest  in  the  story.  You  will  find  it  an  aid 
in  this  direction  if  you  will  learn  to  visualize 
your  thoughts— that  is,  to  make  a  mental  pic- 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  65 

ture  of  the  thing  yon  are  saying.  One  can  al- 
ways describe  better  that  which  they  see  be- 
fore them.  In  the  degree  that  you  can  see  your 
mental  picture,  so  will  be  your  degree  of  power 
in  expressing  it  to  another  in  words,  and  *so 
will  be  the  degree  of  feeling  in  your  tone.  The 
voice  should  express  the  meaning  of  your 
thought  rather  than  being  merely  the  symbol 
of  it.  Try  to  say  "Good  Morning"  as  if  you 
meant  it— then  say  it  in  the  usual  way.  Do 
you  see  the  difference?  Throw  your  thought 
and  feeling  into  your  voice.  Forget  all  about 
yourself  and  the  other  man  and  concentrate 
your  thought  and  feeling  into  your  voice. 

Many  people  make  the  mistake  of  "speak- 
ing with  their  muscles  instead  of  with  their 
nerves. "  They  throw  muscular  energy  into 
their  words,  when  they  should  use  nervous 
energy,  or  thought-force.  The  former  has  but 
little  effect  on  the  mind  of  the  other,  while 
the  second  vibrates  subtly  and  reaches  the 
feelings  of  those  addressed.  Feel,  when  you 
wish  to  speak  impressively,  and  your  tones 
will  reflect  the  same,  and  induce  a  similar  feel- 
ing in  others.  It  is  a  point  worth  remember- 
ing that  one  may  "bring  down"  the  voice  of 


66  SALESMANSHIP 

an  excited  person  to  one's  own  pitch,  if  the 
latter  is  firmly  held  at  the  customary  pitch,  in 
a  firm  manner.  Not  only  does  this  "  bring 
down"  the  other  man's  voice,  but  his  feelings 
will  also  follow  suit,  and  besides,  you  also 
manage  to  keep  your  own  temper  and  poise. 
Never  raise  your  voice  because  another  raises 
his— resist  the  tendency,  and  maintain  your 
poise  and  power  by  so  doing.  This  is  worth 
remembering. 

The  Eyes.  Learn  to  look  people  in  the  eyes 
when  you  are  speaking  to  them.  Not  in  a 
staring  manner,  but  firmly,  politely  and  easily. 
This  may  be  acquired  with  a  little  practice. 
Practice  on  yourself  in  the  mirror  if  you  pre- 
fer. A  shifting,  restless  gaze  produces  a  bad 
impression,  while  a  firm,  honest  gaze  will  in- 
cline people  in  your  favor.  You  will  find  that 
strong  men— men  who  influence  others— al- 
most always  have  a  firm,  strong  gaze.  It  is 
worth  practice,  work  and  time,  to  acquire  this 
personal  trait. 

Clothes.  A  man  is  very  often  known  by  his 
clothes,  or  at  least  judged  by  them.  The  Sales- 
man should  pay  attention  to  this  point  of  per- 
sonal expression,  since  it  will  count  much  for 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  67 

or  against  him.  The  first  point  to  remember 
is  that  cleanliness  is  the  first  requisite  in  cloth- 
ing. Keep  your  clothes  clean  and  well 
pressed.  Particularly  keep  your  linen  clean, 
for  nothing  in  the  way  of  dress  acts  so  much 
against  a  man  as  soiled  linen.  Another  im- 
portant point  is  to  keep  the  extremities  well 
clad— that  is,  the  head,  feet  and  hands.  A 
soiled  or  worn  hat;  a  soiled  or  frayed  collar; 
an  old,  or  unpolished  pair  of  shoes;  ragged 
sleeves  or  frayed  cuffs — these  things  are  more 
easily  noticed  and  count  more  against  a  man 
than  a  shabby  suit.  Better  an  old  suit  well 
brushed,  with  a  good  hat,  shoes  and  clean 
cuffs— than  the  reverse. 

One  should  always  wear  as  good  clothes  as 
his  means  will  permit,  and  such  as  will  be  in 
keeping  with  his  occupation  and  position.  The 
rule  is  to  get  as  good  material  as  possible,  and 
cut  reasonably  within  the  prevailing  style- 
but  avoiding  all  extremes,  or  fanciful  designs. 
A  well-dressed  business  man  should  give 
neither  tKe  appearance  of  shabbiness  nor  of 
being  "  dressed-up."  He  should  present  the 
appearance  of  general  neatness  without  at- 
tracting any  special  attention  to  his  clothing. 


68  SALESMANSHIP 

When  a  man's  clothes  specially  attract  one, 
that  man  is  not  well  dressed,  but  either  poorly 
dressed  or  over-dressed.  The  "happy  mean" 
between  the  two  extremes  is  to  be  sought  after. 
Polonius'  advice  to  his  son  is  well  worth  mem- 
orizing: "Costly  thy  habit  as  thy  purse  can 
buy,  but  not  expressed  in  fancy;  rich,  not 
gaudy;  for  the  apparel  oft  proclaims  the 
man. ' ' 

Details  of  Appearance.  Personal  cleanli- 
ness and  neatness  are  pre-requisites  of  the 
Salesman  who  wishes  to  produce  a  favorable 
impression.  There  is  nothing  that  will  so  tend 
to  prejudice  the  average  business  man  against 
a  new  caller  as  the  appearance  of  neglect  of 
personal  care.  The  body  should  be  well- 
bathed  ;  the  hair  trimmed  and  neatly  brushed ; 
the  face  cleanly  shaven;  the  teeth  well 
brushed;  the  nails  clean;  the  shoes  polished; 
the  necktie  and  collar  clean;  the  clothes 
brushed.  Avoid  the  smell  of  liquor  or  tobacco 
on  the  breath,  and  eschew  as  fatal  the  odor  of 
strong  perfumery  on  the  clothes  or  handker- 
chief. The  yellow  stains  of  the  cigarette 
showing  on  the  fingers,  and  the  disgusting 
odor  attaching  to  the  cigarette  habit,  have  lost 


MIND  OF  THE  SALESMAN  69 

many  a  man  a  favorable  hearing.  The  cigar- 
ette is  " taboo"  to  many  me!n  who  smoke 
other  forms  of  tobacco.  These  things  are  in- 
stinctively recognized  by  the  buyer  as  mani- 
festations of  the  mind  of  the  salesman—  a 
part  of  his  personality— and  very  rightly  so, 
for  if  the  mind  be  kept  above  them  they  do  not 
manifest.  All  these  things  go  toward  forming 
the  impression  which  one  person  always  makes 
upon  another  at  the  first  meeting,  and  which 
have  so  much  to  do  with  securing  a  favorable 
notice  during  the  Approach  of  the  Salesman. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  MIND  OF  THE  BUYER 

The  second  important  element  in  a  sale  is 
the  Mind  of  the  Buyer.  In  the  mind  of  the 
buyer  is  fought  the  battle  of  the  sale.  Within 
its  boundaries  are  manifested  the  movements 
which  win  or  lose  the  day.  As  a  writer  on  the 
subject  has  said:  "The  buyer's  brain  is  the 
board  upon  which  the  game  is  played.  The 
faculties  of  the  brain  are  the  men.  The  sales- 
man moves  or  guides  these  faculties  as  he 
would  chess  men  or  checkers  on  a  board. ' '  In 
order  to  understand  the  ground  upon  which 
your  battle  must  be  fought,  and  the  mental 
elements  which  you  must  combat,  persuade, 
move,  push  or  attract,  you  must  understand 
the  various  faculties  of  the  mind,  as  well  as 
the  mind  as  a  whole.  Let  us,  therefore,  con- 
sider the  various  mental  faculties  which  are 
employed  actively  by  a  buyer  in  the  mental 
process  of  a  purchase. 

70 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  71 

I.  'Quality.  In  the  first  place,  let  us 
consider  that  which  the  phrenologists  call 
"Quality,"  by  which  they  express  the  various 
degrees  of  fineness  or  coarseness  in  a  man's 
mental  make-up  which  is  usually  indicated  by 
his  appearance  and  physical  characteristics. 
This  "quality"  in  a  man  is  akin  to  what  we 
call  "class,"  "breeding,"  or  "blood"  in  the 
higher  animals.  It  is  difficult  to  explain,  but 
is  universally  recognized.  At  one  extreme  of 
"quality"  we  find  those  individuals  who  are 
fine-grained,  refined,  high-strung,  intense,  and 
inclined  to  be  susceptible  to  emotional  or  senti- 
mental influence,  poetry,  music,  etc.,  and  are 
apt  to  be  more  or  less  impractical  and  out  of 
harmony  with  the  material  world  of  men  and 
affairs.  At  the  other  extreme  we  find  those 
individuals  who  are  coarse-grained,  of  coarse 
and  unrefined  tastes,  animal,  gross,  unrefined, 
and  generally ' '  swinish. ' J  Between  these  two 
extremes  we  find  many  degrees  in  the  scale. 
The  outward  physical  signs  of  the  person, 
such  as  the  coarseness  or  fineness  of  his  skin, 
hair,  nails,  ears  and  facial  features,  as  well  as 
his  general  form  and  characteristics,  will 
usually  give  the  careful  observer  the  key  to 


72  SALESMANSHIP 

the  degree  of  a  man's  "quality."  It  will  be 
well  for  the  Salesman  to  acquaint  himself  with 
these  characteristics,  for  they  throw  much 
light  on  the  general  character  of  people. 

Next  in  order  come  what  are  called  the  Tem- 
peraments, by  which  term  phrenologists  desig- 
nate the  general  classes  into  which  individuals 
fit.  As  a  rule,  however,  an  individual  mani- 
fests the  elements  of  several  of  the  tempera- 
ments—that is,  they  blend  in  him.  The  best 
phrenological  authorities  classify  the  tem- 
peraments as  follows:  (1)  The  Vital;  (2)  The 
Motive ;  (3)  The  Mental ;  the  characteristics  of 
which  are  described  as  follows : 

The  Vital  Temperament.  This  tempera- 
ment is  indicated  by  a  predominance  of  the 
purely  physical  or  "animal"  propensities. 
Those  in  whom  it  predominates  are  distin- 
guished by  a  round  head,  wide  space  between 
the  corners  of  the  eyes  and  the  ears,  side-head 
full,  broad  forehead  (not  necessarily  high). 
They  are  generally  fleshy  with  a  "well-fed" 
appearance,  inclined  to  be  broad  shouldered 
and  deep  chested  and  with  a  "bull  neck"— 
splendid  animals,  in  fact.  Their  mental  char- 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYEB  73 

acteristics  are  love  of  eating  and  drinking,  and 
animal  comforts  ;  impulsiveness,  impetu- 
osity, heartiness,  quick  temper,  zeal  and 
ardor,  often  shrewd  and  cunning  but  without 
great  depth,  susceptible  to  flattery  and  appeal 
to  selfish  emotions  and  prejudices,  and  loving 
pleasure.  They  are  generally  selfish  and 
grasping  toward  that  which  caters  to  their 
pleasure  and  physical  welfare.  Try  to  "get 
all  that  is  coming  to  them,"  and  yet  at  the 
same  time  tend  toward  conviviality  and  are 
desirous  of  being  thought  '  '  good  fellows.  '  '  Are 
usually  excitable,  and  are  easily  thrown  off 
their  balance.  Those  in  whom  this  tempera- 
ment is  deficient  manifest  physical  character- 
istics opposite  to  those  above  mentioned,  and 
are  more  or  less  anaemic,  or  bloodless,  and 
show  a  lack  of  vitality  and  physical  well-being. 
Those  in  whom  this  temperament  predomi- 
nates make  good  butchers,  hotel-keepers,  cap- 
tains, locomotive  engineers,  traders,  poli- 
ticians, contractors,  etc.  Thej_are  reached 
feelings  rather  than  through 


their  intellect. 

The  Motive  Temperament.    This  tempera- 
merit  is  indicated  by  a  predominance  of  mus- 


74  SALESMANSHIP 

cular  strength,  endurance,  toughness,  and 
powers  of  action.  Those  in  whom  it  predomi- 
nates are  distinguished  by  a  general  leanness 
and  spareness;  strongly  marked  and  promi- 
nent features,  usually  with  a  large  nose  and 
high  cheek  bones;  large  and  strong  teeth; 
large  joints  and  knuckles—the  Abraham  Lin- 
coln physical  characteristics,  in  fact.  Their 
mental  characteristics  are  determination,  per- 
sistence, combativeness,  destructiveness,  en- 
durance, thoroughness,  management,  execu- 
tive ability,  creative  power,  stubbornness, 
powers  of  resistance,  and  often  an  indomitable 
spirit.  Their  emotions  are  not  on  the  surface, 
but  when  once  aroused  are  strong  and  per- 
sistent. They  are  slow  to  wrath,  but  are  good 
fighters  and  will  stay  to  the  finish.  They  are 
generally  canny  and  shrewd,  instinctively. 
They  are  the  active  and  persistent  workers  of 
the  world.  It  is  this  temperament  in  one 
which  supplies  his  motive  power— his  ability 
and  taste  for  work.  Those  in  whom  this  tem- 
perament is  deficient  manifest  physical  char- 
acteristics opposite  to  those  above  mentioned, 
and  accordingl^are^  averse  tojrork  or  exer- 
tion of  any  kind. 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  75 

The  Mental  Temperament.  This  tempera- 
nicint  is  indicated  by  a  predominance  of 
nervous  force,  mental  activity,  reasoning 
power,  imagination,  and  a  brain  development 
rather  than  bodily  strength  or  physical  ac- 
tivity. Those  in  whom  it  predominates  are 
distinguished  by  a  slight  build,  small  bones 
and  muscles,  general  fineness  of  structure, 
quick  motions,  signs  of  nervous  energy,  sharp 
features,  thin  lips,  thin,  finely  shaped,  and 
often  pointed  nose,  high  forehead,  and  ex- 
pressive eyes.  Their  mental  characteristics 
are  activity  in  reasoning  processes,  active  im- 
agination, susceptibility  to  disturbance  from 
uncongenial  environment  and  distasteful  com- 
pany, love  of  mental  activity  and  often  a  dis- 
taste for  physical  activity,  sensitiveness,  ex- 
tremes of  feeling  and  emotion,  eager  and  en- 
thusiastic, and  the  general  traits  popularly 
designated  as  "temperamental."  Those  in 
whom  this  temperament  is  deficient  manifest 
characteristics  opposite  to  those  above  men- 
tioned, and  are  averse  to  mental  activity. 

Blended  Temperaments.  Nearly  every  in- 
dividual possesses  the  three  temperaments 
blended  in  various  proportions  and  combine*- 


76  SALESMANSHIP 

tions.  In  some,  one  temperament  predomi- 
nates largely  and  gives  us  the  distinctive  char- 
acteristics of  that  class.  But  in  others,  often 
two  temperaments  will  predominate,  leaving 
the  third  scarcely  manifest.  In  others,  the 
three  are  so  well  blended  and  balanced  that  the 
individual  is  known  as  "well  balanced"  tem- 
peramentally—this  being  considered  the  ideal 
condition. 

Prof.  Fowler,  one  of  the  old  authorities  in 
phrenology,  says  of  the  blended  tempera- 
ments :  "Excessive  Motive  with  deficient  Men- 
tal gives  power  and  sluggishness,  so  that  the 
talents  lie  dormant.  Excessive  Vital  gives 
physical  power  and  enjoyment,  but  too  little 
of  the  mental  and  moral,  along  with  coarse- 
ness and  animality.  Excessive  Mental  con- 
fers too  much  mind  for  body,  too  much  senti- 
mentalism  and  exquisiteness,  along  with 
greenhouse  precocity.  Whereas  their  equal 
balance  gives  an  abundant  supply  of  vital 
energy,  physical  stamina,  and  mental  power 
and  susceptibility.  They  may  be  compared  to 
the  several  parts  of  a  steamboat  and  its  ap- 
purtenances. The  Vital  is  the  steampower; 
the  Motive,  the  hulk  or  frame-work;  the 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  77 

Mental,  the  freight  and  passengers.  The  Vital 
predominating,  generates  more  animal  energy 
than  can  well  be  worked  off,  and  causes  rest- 
lessness, excessive  passion,  and  a  pressure 
which  endangers  outbursts  and  overt  actions ; 
predominant  Motive  gives  too  much  frame  or 
hulk ;  moves  slowly,  and  with  weak  Mental  is 
too  light  freighted  to  secure  the  great  ends  of 
life;  predominant  Mental  overloads,  and  en- 
dangers sinking ;  but  all  equally  balanced  and 
powerful,  carry  great  loads  rapidly  and  well, 
and  accomplish  wonders.  Such  persons  unite 
cool  judgment  with  intense  and  well  governed 
feelings ;  great  force  of  character  and  intellect 
with  perfect  consistency;  scholarship  with 
sound  common  sense ;  far  seeing  sagacity  with 
brilliancy ;  and  have  the  highest  order  of  both 
physiology  and  mentality. ' ' 

The  Salesman  should  thoroughly  acquaint 
himself  with  the  characteristics  of  each  of  the 
three  temperaments,  and  should  also  learn  to 
analyze  them  when  found  blended  and  in  com- 
bination. An  understanding  of  a  man's  tem- 
perament will  often  give  one  the  key  to  his 
general  character  and  disposition,  which  will 
be  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  the  Salesman. 


78  SALESMANSHIP 

Many  students  of  human  nature  devote  their 
entire  attention  to  a  study  of  the  several  facul- 
ties of  the  mind,  ignoring  the  force  and  effect 
of  the  temperaments.  We  consider  this  to  be 
a  mistake,  for  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
temperaments  gives  one  a  general  key  to  char- 
acter, and,  as  a  fact,  it  is  generally  found  that 
given  a  certain  temperament  or  combination 
of  the  same,  a  good  phrenologist  will  be  able 
to  indicate  just  what  faculties  are  apt  to  be 
found  in  the  ascendency  in  such  a  character. 
And  as  the  average  Salesman  cannot  spare  the 
time  to  become  an  expert  phrenologist,  it  will 
be  seen  that  a  correct  knowledge  of  the  tem- 
peraments gives  him  his  best  working  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject  of  character  reading. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  various  groups  of 
mental  faculties  which  are  manifested  by  the 
buyer  in  his  business,  and  which  should,be  un- 
derstood by  the  Salesman  in  order  that  he  may 
successfully  meet  the  impulses  arising  there- 
from in  the  mind  of  the  buyer.  Our  considera- 
tion of  these  groups  of  faculties  must  neces- 
sarily be  brief,  but  we  shall  include  the  essen- 
tial features, 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  79 

TJie  Social  Faculties.  This  group  of  facul- 
ties includes  Amativeness  or  Sexuality;  Con- 
jugality or  Marital  Inclination ;  Parental  Love 
or  Love  of  Offspring;  Friendship  or  Love  of 
Companionship;  Inhabitiveness  or  Love  of 
Home.  Phrenology  teaches  that  this  group  of 
organs  occupies  the  lower  back  portion  of  the 
head,  giving  the  appearance  of  bulging  be- 
hind the  ears.  Amativeness  or  Sexuality  when 
highly  developed  causes  one  to  be  at  the  mercy 
of  the  attraction  of  the  opposite  sex.  While 
normally  developed  it  plays  a  worthy  part  in 
life,  its  excessive  development  manifests  in 
licentiousness,  and  when  deficient  manifests 
in  an  aversion  to  the  opposite  sex  or  a  cold- 
ness and  reserve.  Persons  in  whom  this 
faculty  is  in  excess  will  neglect  business  for 
sex  attraction,  and  will  allow  themselves  to  be 
"sidetracked"  by  reason  thereof.  In  selling 
a  man  of  this  kind,  keep  him  away  from  this 
particular  subject,  or  he  will  not  give  you  his 
attention.  Conjugality  or  Marital  Inclination 
when  highly  developed  causes  one  to  be  largely 
influenced  by  one's  companion  in  marriage.  A 
man  of  this  kind  will  be  largely  governed  by 
his  wife's  wishes,  tastes  and  desires,  conse- 


80  SALESMANSHIP 

quently  if  his  wife ' '  says  so ' 9  the  battle  is  won. 
Some  men,  however,  while  having  Amative- 
ness  largely  developed,  have  but  small  Conju- 
gality, and  if  one  love  is  not  found  satis- 
factory, another  is  substituted— an  "affinity" 
takes  the  wife 's  place.  Parental  Love  or  Love 
of  Offspring  when  highly  developed  causes 
one  to  idolize  his  children  and  to  be  capable  of 
influence  through  them.  Such  men  are  prone 
to  relate  anecdotes  regarding  their  children 
and  to1  bore  listeners  with  recitals  of  infantile 
brightness  and  precocity.  They  generally 
have  photographs  of  their  children  about  their 
desks.  An  appeal  to  the  interests  of  the  chil- 
dren always  reaches  the  attention  and  interest 
of  these  people.  Friendship,  or  Love  of  Com- 
panionship, when  highly  developed  causes  one 
to  seek  society,  form  attachments  of  friend- 
ship, enjoy  social  pleasures,  do  favors  for 
those  whom  they  like,  enjoy  entertaining  and 
being  entertained.  Such  a  man  will  be  more 
apt  to  base  his  business  dealings  upon  likes 
and  acquaintance  rather  than  upon  reason  or 
judgment,  and  are  comparatively  easily  per- 
suaded by  those  whom  they  like.  An  appear- 
ance of  sociability  generally  attracts  them  to 


MIND  OF 'THE  BUYER  81 

those  manifesting  it.  The  quality  of  "good 
fellowship"  appeals  to  this  class.  Inhabitive- 
ness  or  Love  of  Home  when  highly  developed 
causes  one  to  become  attached  to  places,  locali- 
ties and  associations.  Such  a  man  will  be  full 
of  patriotism,  local  pride  and  prejudice  and 
provincialism.  He  will  resent  any  apparent 
"slur"  upon  his  locality,  and  will  appreciate 
any  favorable  comment  on  his  home  place  and 
locality.  These  people  are  like  cats  who  are 
attached  to  places  rather  than  to  people. 
Their  township  is  usually  their  idea  of  "my 
country." 

The  Selfish  Faculties.  This  group  of  facul- 
ties includes  Vitativeness,  or  Love  of  Life; 
Combativeness,  or  Love  of  Opposing ;  Destruc- 
tiveness,  or  Love  of  Breaking  Through;  All- 
mentiveness,  or  Love  of  Appetite;  Bibative- 
ness,  or  Love  of  Drink;  Acquisitiveness)  or 
Love  of  Gain;  Secretiveness,  or  Cunning; 
Cautiousness,  or  Prudence ;  Approbativeness, 
or  Love  of  Praise ;  Self  Esteem,  or  Self  Re- 
liance. Phrenology  teaches  that  this  group  of 
organs  occupy  the  sides  of  the  back  part  of  the 
head.  Vitativeness,  or  Love  of  Life,  when 
highly  developed  causes  one  to  manifest  a  de- 


82  SALESMANSHIP 

termination  to  live,  and  a  great  fear  of  death. 
Anything  promising  increased  health  or  long 
life  will  greatly  attract  these  people,  and  any- 
thing arousing  a  fear  of  ill  health  or  death 
will  influence  them  greatly.  These  people  are 
excellent  customers  for  health  appliances 
books  on  health,  etc.  Combativeness,  or  Love 
of  Opposing,  when  highly  developed  causes 
one  to  desire  a ' '  scrap  "  or  an  argument  or  de- 
bate. These  people  can  best  be  handled  by 
seemingly  allowing  them  to  win  in  argument, 
and  then  leading  them  to  suggest  the  thing 
that  the  Salesman  has  had  in  his  mind  all  the 
time.  These  people  may  be  led,  or  coaxed,  but 
never  driven.  With  them  it  is  always  a  case 
of  " sugar  catches  more  flies  than  vinegar," 
or  of  the  hot  sun  causing  the  man  to  drop  the 
cloak  which  the  fierce  north  wind  was  unable 
to  blow  away  from  him.  A  man  of  this  kind 
will  be  so  pleased  at  beating  another  in  an 
argument  on  a  minor  point,  that  he  will  forget 
the  main  point  and  will  be  in  a  humor  to  be 
persuaded.  Always  avoid  a  direct  argument 
or  dispute  with  these  people  on  important 
points— they  will  let  their  pride  of  combat 
obscure  their  judgment  But  they  will  be 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  83 

ready  to  bestow  favors  on  those  whom  they 
believe  they  have  worsted  in  argument.  De- 
structiveness,  or  Love  of  Breaking  Through, 
when  highly  developed  causes  one  to  take 
great  pleasure  in  doing  things  in  new  ways ; 
in  breaking  precedents  and  defying  authority, 
and  in  breaking  down  obstacles.  If  you  can 
arouse  this  spirit  in  such  a  man,  by  showing 
him  how  he  may  do  these  things  with  your 
goods,  he  will  fall  in  line.  A  man  of  this  kind 
may  be  interested  at  once  in  any  proposition 
whereby  he  may  be  enabled  to  do  something  in 
a  novel  way  here — to  defy  opposition  or  estab- 
lished custom— or  to  break  down  opposing  ob- 
stacles. The  keynote  of  this  faculty  is: 
"Make  Way."  Alimentiveness,  or  Love  of 
Appetite,  when  highly  developed  causes  one 
to  incline  toward  gluttony  and  gormandizing, 
and  to  place  undue  importance  upon  the 
pleasures  of  the  table.  A  man  of  this  kind 
' ' lives  to  eat"  instead  of  < '  eating  to  live, ' '  and 
may  be  reached  through  his  weakest  point— 
his  stomach.  To  such  a  man  a  good  dinner  is 
more  convincing  than  a  logical  argument. 
Bibativeness,  or  Love  of  Drink,  when  highly 
developed  causes  one  to  manifest  an  inordi- 


84  SALESMANSHIP 

nate  taste  for  liquids  of  all  kinds.  In  some 
cases,  where  alcoholic  drinks  are  avoided  by 
such  people,  they  will  run  to  excess  in  the  di- 
rection of  "soft  drinks"  such  as  ginger  ale, 
soda  water,  etc.  It  does  not  follow  that  these 
people  are  fond  of  the  effects  of  alcohol,  the 
craving  seemingly  being  for  liquids  in  some 
form.  Such  people,  if  their  appetites  are  not 
controlled,  will  let  their  taste  for  drinks  run 
away  with  their  judgment  and  reason. 

Acquisitiveness,  or  Love  of  Gain,  when 
highly  developed  causes  one  to  be  very  grasp- 
ing, avaricious,  and  often  miserly.  But,  when 
not  so  highly  developed,  it  causes  one  to  mani- 
fest a  keen  trading  instinct,  and  is  a  necessary 
factor  in  the  mental  make-up  of  the  successful 
merchant.  Those  in  whom  it  is  highly  devel- 
oped will  be  interested  in  any  proposition 
which  seems  to  them  to  promise  gain  or  sav- 
ing. In  selling  such  a  man,  the  effort  should 
be  to  keep  the  one  point  of  profit  or  saving  al- 
ways in  evidence.  In  some  cases  this  faculty, 
too  highly  developed  and  not  counterbalanced 
by  other  faculties,  will  make  a  man  "penny 
wise  and  pound-foolish,"  and  will  focus  his 
mental  gaze  so  closely  on  the  nickel  held  close 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  85 

to  his  eye  that  he  will  not  see  the  dollar  a  little 
further  off.  The  " money  talk"  is  the  only 
one  that  will  appeal  to  these  people. 

Secreliveness,  or  Cunning,  when  highly  de- 
veloped causes  one  to  incline  toward  double- 
dealing,  duplicity,  trickery  and  deception.  It 
is  the  "foxy"  faculty,  which,  while  useful  to  a 
certain  degree,  becomes  undesirable  when  car- 
ried to  excess.  In  dealing  with  a  man  of  this 
kind,  be  on  guard  so  far  as  accepting  his  state- 
ments at  full  value  is  concerned.  Accept  his 
statements ' '  with  a  grain  of  salt. ' 9  Those  who 
wish  to  "fight  the  devil  with  his  own  fire"  can 
reach  these  people  by  allowing  them  to  think 
that  they  are  overreaching  or  getting  the  best 
of  the  Salesman.  The  Salesman  who  is  ap- 
parently defeated  by  these  people,  is  very  apt 
to  have  discounted  their  methods  in  advance, 
and  has  mapped  out  his  line  of  retreat  in  ad- 
vance so  that  the  defeat  is  really  a  victory. 
These  people  often  will  sacrifice  a  real  ad- 
vantage concerning  a  big  thing  for  the  sake  of 
tricking  one  out  of  a  small  advantage.  To 
trick  another  causes  them  to  feel  a  glow  of 
righteous  well-being  and  self-satisfaction,  and 
makes  them  forget  the  main  point  in  the  deal. 


86  SALESMANSHIP 

A  small  victory  thus  won  acts  on  them  like  the 
good  dinner  to  the  Alimentive  man,  or  flattery 
to  the  Approbative  person.  A  faculty  devel- 
oped to  excess  is  always  a  weak  point  which 
can  be  used  by  others  who  understand  it, 

Cautiousness,  or  Prudence,  while  an  admir- 
able quality  when  normally  developed,  be- 
comes, when  highly  developed,  an  undesirable 
quality.  When  highly  developed  it  causes  one 
to  be  over-anxious,  fearful,  afraid  to  act,  lia- 
ble to  panic,  etc.  These  people  must  be  culti- 
vated carefully,  and  led  to  acquire  confidence 
and  trust.  One  should  be  very  careful  in  deal- 
ing with  these  people  not  to  cause  suspicion  or 
alarm.  They  should  be  treated  with  the  ut- 
most fairness,  and  given  full  explanations  of 
matters  of  which  they  are  in  doubt.  As  a  rule 
they  are  very  slow  in  giving  confidence,  but 
when  they  once  place  confidence  in  a  person 
they  are  very  apt  to  stick  to  him.  Their  very 
fearfulness  acts  to  prevent  their  making 
changes  when  confidence  is  once  secured. 
These  people  cannot  be  "rushed,"  as  a  rule—- 
they require  time  in  order  to  gain  confidence. 
They  are,  however,  subject  to  an  occasional 
6 '  rush ' '  by  reason  of  their  panicky  disposition, 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  87 

if  they  can  be  made  to  fear  that  if  they  do  not 
act  some  competitor  will  be  given  the  chance, 
or  that  prices  will  advance  if  they  do  not  order 
at  once.  These  people  mnst  be  handled  care- 
fully, and  the  Salesman  who  masters  their  na- 
ture will  be  well  repaid  for  his  trouble  and 
pains. 

Approbativeness,  or  Love  of  Praise,  when 
highly  developed  causes  one  to  be  susceptible 
to  flattery,  desirous  of  praise,  fond  of  *  *  show- 
ing off"  and  displaying  himself,  vain,  sensi- 
tive to  criticism,  and  generally  egotistical  and 
often  pompous.  This  quality  when  highly  de- 
veloped is  a  weakness  and  gives  to  an  adver- 
sary a  powerful  lever  to  work.  The  Salesman, 
while  secretly  detesting  this  quality  in  a  buyer, 
nevertheless  finds  it  a  very  easy  channel  of  ap- 
proach and  weapon  of  success,  when  he  once 
understands  its  characteristics.  These  peo- 
ple can  be  reached  by  an  apparent ' '  falling  in ' ' 
with  their  opinion  of  themselves,  and  a  mani- 
festation of  the  proper  respect  in  manner  and 
words.  These  are  the  people  to  whom  the 
"soft  soap"  is  applied  liberally,  and  who  are 
carried  away  by  an  apparent  appreciation  of 
their  own  excellence.  They  will  be  willing  to 


88  SALESMANSHIP 

bestow  all  sorts  of  favors  upon  those  who  are 
sufficiently  able  to  "understand"  them,  and  to 
perceive  the  existence  of  those  superlative 
qualities  which  the  cruel,  cold,  unfeeling  world 
has  ignored.  These  are  the  people  for  whom 
the  word  "jolly"  was  invented,  and  who  are 
ready  to  absorb  the  available  world-supply  of 
that  article. 

Self  Esteem,  or  Self  Eeliance,  is  a  very  dif- 
ferent quality  from  that  just  described,  al- 
though many  people  seem  unable  to  make  the 
distinction.  Self  Esteem  when  highly  devel- 
oped causes  one  to  appreciate  one's  powers 
and  qualities,  while  not  blinding  oneself  to 
one 's  faults.  It  gives  a  sense  of  self-help,  self- 
respect,  self-reliance,  dignity,  complacency, 
and  independence.  Carried  to  an  extreme  it 
manifests  as  hauteur,  superciliousness,  im- 
periousness  and  tyranny.  It  is  a  characteris- 
tic of  the  majority  of  successful  men  who  have 
made  their  own  way  by  their  own  efforts. 
These  people  insist  upon  having  their  own 
way,  and  using  their  own  minds— they  resent 
apparent  influence  or  suggestions,  and  often 
deliberately  turn  down  a  proposition  simply 
because  they  think  that  an  effort  is  being  made 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  89 

to  force  them  into  it.  The  best  way  to  deal 
with  these  people  is  to  frankly  acknowledge 
their  right  to  think  for  themselves,  both  in 
your  manner,  tone  and  actions— and  to  pre- 
sent the  proposition  to  them  in  an  impersonal 
way,  apparently  leaving  the  whole  matter  to 
their  own  good  judgment.  A  logical  appeal 
appeals  to  them  providing  you  do  not  make  the 
mistake  of  pitting  yourself  against  them  as 
an  opponent  in  argument.  You  may  play  the 
part  of  the  lawyer  to  them,  but  remember  al- 
ways they  want  to  play  the  part  of  judge,  and 
not  that  of  the  opposing  counsel.  If  a  matter 
be  subtly  suggested  to  them  in  such  a  way  as 
to  make  them  think  that  they  have  thought 
it  themselves,  they  will  favor  it.  Always  give 
them  a  chance  to  think  out  the  point  them- 
selves—they like  it.  One  need  not  cringe  to  or 
flatter  these  people.  All  that  is  necessary  is 
to  maintain  your  own  self-respect,  but  at  the 
same  time  let  them  walk  a  little  ahead  of  you, 
or  stand  just  a  little  bit  higher— that  is  all  they 
need  to  make  them  feel  comfortable.  They 
much  prefer  being  a  little  higher  or  ahead  of  a 
strong  man  than  a  weakling— it  is  more  com- 


90  SALESMANSHIP 

plimentary  to  them.  They  appreciate  the  one 
who  forces  them  to  use  their  heaviest  guns— 
but  who  finally  allows  them  to  claim  the 
victory. 


CHAPTEE  V 

THE  MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  (CONTINUED) 

The  Faculties  of  Application.  This  group 
consists  of  two  qualities :  that  of  Firmness,  or 
Decision ;  and  that  of  Continuity,  or  Patience. 
These  faculties,  together  with  Self-Esteem, 
are  located  at  the  upper-back,  or  back-upper, 
part  of  the  head. 

Firmness,  or  Decision,  when  highly  devel- 
oped causes  one  to  manifest  stability,  tenacity, 
fixedness  of  purpose,  often  reaching  the  point 
of  obstinacy,  mulishness  and  stubbornness. 
These  people  cannot  be  driven,  or  forced  into 
anything.  They  are  "mighty  set"  in  their 
ways,  and  when  they  once  take  a  position  are 
very  apt  to  stick  to  it "  right  or  wrong. ' '  They 
are  apt  to  fight  to  the  last  ditch  for  what  they 
consider  principle,  and  will  hold  on  to  the  end 
in  what  they  believe  to  be  right.  To  attempt 
to  drive  them  by  force  is  to  dash  one's  head 
against  a  stone  wall.  The  only  way  to  handle 

91 


92  SALESMANSHIP 

these  people  is  to  endeavor  to  get  them  inter- 
ested in  your  side  of  the  case  before  they  have 
"set"  their  minds  and  made  np  their  opinion. 
If  they  have  already  been  prejudiced  against 
your  case,  the  only  way  is  to  give  up  the  fight 
from  the  front,  and  endeavor  to  present  the 
matter  from  a  different  viewpoint,  or  angle,  so 
that  new  points  will  be  presented  which  take 
the  matter  out  of  the  old  category.  These  peo- 
ple will  never  give  in  unless  they  can  say: 
"Oh,  that  of  course  alters  the  matter  en- 
tirely ; ' ?  or  "  Oh,  well,  that  places  it  in  a  new 
light ; "  or  "  That  is  an  -entirely  different  prop- 
osition," etc.  Leave  them  victors  of  the  posi- 
tions upon  which  they  are  "set,"  and  en- 
deavor to  enlist  their  interest  upon  some  new 
aspects,  points,  or  principles— you  have  at 
least  an  even  chance  of  winning  on  the  new 
point,  whereas  you  have  none  whatever  on  the 
old  one.  If,  however,  you  can  fit  your  case  to 
some  of  their  established  prejudices,  for  or 
against,  you  have  won  your  battle,  for  their 
quality  of  stability  will  then  be  employed  in 
your  favor  instead  of  against  it.  You  will  have 
to  fit  your  case  to  their  moulds— cut  your  gar- 
ment according  to  their  pattern.  A  stubborn 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  93 

and  balky  horse  or  mule  can  often  be  started 
in  motion  by  turning  its  attention  to  a  new 
thing— such  as  putting  a  piece  of  twisted 
paper  in  its  ear,  adjusting  its  harness  in  a 
new  way,  etc.  The  same  principle  will  work 
on  stubborn  men,  "set"  in  their  ways.  Get 
their  mind  off  the  point  in  question,  and  they 
will  be  rational.  Let  them  have  their  own  way 
about  their  own  points — and  then  plan  a  flank 
or  rear  attack  on  them.  You  cannot  batter 
down  their  stone-wall— you  must  either  soar 
over  it,  tunnel  under  it,  or  else  go  around  it. 
Continuity,  or  Patience,  when  highly  devel- 
oped causes  one  to  "stick  to"  a  thing  once 
undertaken;  to  manifest  patience  and  perse- 
verance, and  to  give  up  the  mind  to  one  thing 
to  the  exclusion  of  others.  It  is  difficult  to  in- 
terest these  people  in  new  things— they  in- 
stinctively distrust  the  new  idea  or  thing,  and 
cling  to  the  old.  These  people  are  very  con- 
servative and  dislike  change.  They  can  be 
dealt  with  best  by  avoiding  shocking  them 
with  entirely  new  things,  and  by  carefully  at- 
taching the  newer  idea  or  thing  to  the  old  so 
that  it  seems  a  part  of  the  latter.  New  things 
under  old  names  do  not  disturb  these  people 


94  SALESMANSHIP 

as  much  as  old  things  under  new  names— it  is 
the  form  and  name,  rather  than  the  substance 
with  them.  Old  wine  in  new  bottles  they  abhor 
—but  new  wine  in  old  bottles  they  will  stand. 
Arguments  based  on  "  old  established"  things, 
or  "good  old-time"  things,  appeal  to  them. 
Things  must  be  "respectable"  "well-estab- 
lished," "standing  the  test  of  years,"  "no 
new-fangled  notion,"  etc.,  to  appeal  to  them. 
Beware  of  trying  new  and  startling  changes 
on  them— they  will  be  prejudiced  against  you 
at  once.  Fall  in  with  their  ideals,  and  they  will 
be  excellent  friends  and  steady  customers. 
The  words ' '  conservative ' '  and ' '  established ' 9 
sound  well  to  their  ears.  On  the  contrary,  peo- 
ple in  whom  this  faculty  is  deficient  will  in- 
cline toward  new  things  because  they  are  new. 
This  faculty,  either  in  excess  or  when  deficient* 
strongly  affects  the  judgment,  and  must  be 
taken  into  consideration  by  the  Salesman. 

The  Religio-Moral  Faculties.  This  group 
of  faculties  includes  Conscientiousness,  or 
Moral  Principle;  Hope  or  Optimism;  Spirit- 
uality, or  other- worldliness ;  Veneration,  or 
Eeverence ;  and  Benevolence,  or  Human  Kind- 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  95 

ness.  The  organs  manifesting  these  qualities 
are  located  in  the  front-top  of  the  head. 

Conscientiousness,  or  Moral  Principle,  when 
highly  developed  gives  one  a  high  sense  of 
right,  justice,  truth,  virtue,  and  duty.  In  deal- 
ing with  these  people  be  particularly  careful 
to  make  no  misstatements,  misrepresenta- 
tions, and  exaggerations,  but  to  adhere 
closely  to  the  facts  of  the  case.  Avoid  also  any 
appearance  of  trickiness  or  sharp  practice, 
stories  of  shrewd  bargains,  etc.  These  peo- 
ple become  staunch,  firm  friends  if  dealt  with 
as  they  deserve,  but  become  prejudiced 
against  people  and  houses  whom  they  sus- 
pect of  unfair  dealings,  or  in  whom  they  lose 
confidence.  Their  keynote -is  "right's  right" 
—and  you  should  adhere  to  it  in  all  dealings 
with  them.  They  are  * '  the  salt  of  the  earth, ' ' 
and  it  is  a  pity  that  there  are  not  more  of  them. 
It  is  true  that  sometimes  this  faculty  seems  to 
become  perverted  into  phariseeism  and  hypoc- 
risy—but, then,  every  good  thing  has  its  coun- 
terfeit, and  the  thing  to  do  is  to  distinguish 
between  the  true  and  the  false,  here  as  else- 
where. 

Hope,  or  Optimism,  when  highly  developed 


96  SALESMANSHIP 

causes  one  to  look  on  the  bright  side  of  things, 
expect  favorable  outcomes,  look  confidently 
forward,  and  expect  much  from  the  future. 
Its  perversion  manifests  in  visionary  dreams 
and  castle-building.  These  people  are  ame- 
nable to  appeals  to  future  success,  bright  pros- 
pects, cheerful  outlook,  and  new  undertakings 
which  seem  promising.  They  become  enthusi- 
astic when  propositions  are  properly  pre- 
sented to  them,  and  prefer  to  deal  with  Sales- 
men of  similar  mental  characteristics.  These 
people  are  natural  " bulls"  in  business— be- 
ware of  posing  as  a  "  bear ' '  when  dealing  with 
them.  They  relish  a  good  cheering,  cheerful 
talk  more  than  anything  else.  They  are  good 
people  to  deal  with,  particularly  if  the  quality 
in  question  is  balanced  by  caution  and  trained 
by  experience. 

Spirituality,  or  Other-worldliness,  when 
highly  developed  tends  to  cause  one  to  live  on 
mental  heights  above*  the  things  of  ordinary 
material  existence;  to  trust  to  the  "inner 
light;"  to  incline  toward  mysticism;  and  to 
experience  a  religious  consciousness  above  the 
ordinary.  When  manifested  in  a  lesser  de- 
gree it  is  evidenced  by  the  ordinary  "relig- 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  97 

ious"  feeling.  Perverted,  it  manifests  as  su- 
perstition, credulity  and  "psychism."  The 
people  in  whom  this  faculty  is  active  seem  to 
feel  that  business  is  a  degrading  necessity,  and 
they  are  never  thoroughly  at  home  in  it,  unless 
the  goods  handled  happen  to  be  along  the  lines 
of  their  general  inclination,  as  for  instance, 
religious  books,  -etc.  Consequently,  their  busi- 
ness traits  and  tastes  arise  from  the  other 
faculties,  rather  than  from  this  particular  one. 
However,  they  are  easily  prejudiced  against 
one  whom  they  imagine  does  not  agree  with 
them  in  their  beliefs  and  convictions,  and  are 
apt  to  be  swayed  rather  more  by  feeling,  emo- 
tion and  sentiment  than  by  cool  judgment  and 
pure  reason.  They  are  usually  strong  in  their 
likes  and  dislikes,  and  are  susceptible  to  ap- 
peals to  their  imagination. 

Veneration,  or  Reverence,  when  highly 
developed  causes  one  to  manifest  reverence 
and  extreme  respect  to  authority  of  all 
kinds.  These  people  are  usually  good  church 
members  and  law  abiding  citizens.  In  busi- 
ness, the  faculty  is  apt  to  cause  them  to 
place  great  stress  upon  authority  and  ex- 
ample. If  some  large  merchant  has  ordered 


98  SALESMANSHIP 

certain  goods,  they  will  be  impressed 
by  his  example.  They  regard  testimonials 
and  recommendations  highly.  In  dealing 
with  them  one  must  avoid  speaking  lightly 
of  any  thing  or  person  esteemed  by  them, 
for  they  will  be  quick  to  resent  it.  They 
are  usually  decidedly  conventional,  and  aim  to 
meet  the  full  requirements  of  "respectabil- 
ity" and  social  customs. 

Benevolence,  or  Human  Kindness,  when 
highly  developed  causes-  one  to  manifest  sym- 
pathy, kindness,  generosity,  and  philanthropy. 
These  people  are  altruistic  and  always  ready 
to  do  another  a  good  turn.  They  are  moved 
by  their  feelings  rather  than  by  their  reason 
and  judgment,  and  will  often  base  their  busi- 
ness transactions  rather  more  upon  friendli- 
ness and  personal  feeling  than  upon  cold  busi- 
ness judgment  and  policy.  They  are  generous 
where  their  sympathies  and  feelings  are  in- 
terested, and  are  too  often  taken  advantage  of 
by  selfish  people  who  play  on  their  unselfish 
natures.  Too  often  are  they  considered 
' '  easy, ' 9  and  are  imposed  on  accordingly.  The 
personal  equation  of  the  Salesman  plays  an 
important  part  in  dealing  with  these  people. 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  99 

From  these  several  groups  of  faculties  arise 
many  combinations  of  character  in  people. 
While  it  is  true  that  there  is  almost  infinite 
variety  among  people,  nevertheless,  it  is  true 
that  there  are  a  few  general  classes  into  which 
the  majority  of  buyers  may  be  fitted  or 
grouped  for  convenience.  Let  us  now  consider 
some  of  the  more  common  classes,  and  see  how 
the  faculties,  in  combination,  manifest  them- 
selves. 

The  Argumentive  Buyer.  This  man  finds 
his  greatest  pleasure  in  arguing,  combating 
and  disputing  with  the  Salesman— argument 
for  the  sake  of  argument,  not  for  the  sake  of 
truth  or  advantage.  This  trait  arises  from  de- 
veloped Combativeness  and  Destructiveness. 
Do  not  take  these  people  too  seriously.  Let 
them  enjoy  a  victory  over  you  on  minor  points, 
and  then  after  yielding  gracefully  coax  them 
along  the  main  lines  of  the  selling  talk.  At 
the  best,  they  are  arguing  over  terms,  defini- 
tions, forms,  etc.  and  not  over  facts.  Let  them 
make  their  own  definitions,  terms  and  forms— 
and  then  take  their  order  for  the  goods  which 
you  have  fitted  into  their  side  of  the  argument. 
If,  however,  the  argument  is  based  upon  true 


100  SALESMANSHIP 

reasoning  and  with  a  legitimate  intent,  then 
reason, with  him  calmly  and  respectfully. 

The  Conceited  Buyer.  This  fellow  is  full  of 
Approbativeness.  We  have  told  you  about 
him  elsewhere.  Meet  him  on  his  own  plane, 
and  give  him  the  particular  bait  indicated  for 
his  species— he  will  rise  to  it.  Appearing  to 
defer  to  him,  you  may  work  in  your  arguments 
and  selling  talk  without  opposition.  Prefac- 
ing your  explanation  with  "As  you  know  by 
your  own  experience ; ' '  or  "  as  your  own  good 
judgment  has  decided;"  etc.,  you  may  tell 
your  story  without  much  opposition.  You 
must  always  let  him  feel  that  you  realize  that 
you  are  in  the  presence  of  a  great  man. 

The  "Stone  Wall"  Buyer.  This  man  has 
Self  Esteem  and  Firmness  largely  developed. 
We  have  told  you  about  him  under  those  two 
headings.  You  must  fly  over,  tunnel  under, 
or  walk  around  his  stone  wall  of  reserve 
and  stubbornness.  Let  him  keep  his  wall 
intact— he  likes  it,  and  it  would  be  a  shame 
to  deprive  him  of  it.  A  little  careful  search 
will  generally  show  that  he  has  left  his  flanks, 
or  his  rear  unguarded.  He  will  not  let  you  in 
the  front  door— so  go  around  to  the  kitchen 


MIND  OF  THE  BuYEit  101 

door,  or  the  side-door  of  the  sitting  room— 
they  are  not  so  well  guarded. 

The  Irritable  Buyer.  This  is  an  unpleasant 
combination  of  Approbativeness  and  Combat- 
iveness,  in  connection  with  poor  digestion 
and  disordered  nerves.  Do  not  quarrel  with 
him,  and  let  his  manner  slide  over  you  like 
water  off  a  duck's  back.  Stick  to  your  selling 
talk,  and  above  everything  keep  cool,  confi- 
dent, and  speak  in  even  tones.  This  course 
will  tend  to  bring  him  down.  If  you  show  that 
you  are  not  afraid  of  him,  and  cannot  be  made 
angry— if  your  tones  are  firm  yet  under  con- 
trol and  not  loud— he  will  gradually  come 
down  to  meet  you.  If  you  lose  your  own  tem- 
per, you  may  as  well  walk  out.  Simply  ig- 
nore his  "grouch"— deny  it  out  of  existence, 
as  our  New  Thought  friends  would  say. 

The  "Rough  Shod"  Buyer.  This  man  has 
large  Destructiveness,  and  Self  Esteem,  and 
wants  to  run  things  himself.  He  will  try  to 
ride  rough  shod  over  you.  Keep  cool,  even- 
tempered,  self-possessed,  and  firm  yet  re- 
spectful. Do  not  let  him  ' '  rattle ' '  you.  It  is 
often  more  of  a  " bluff"  than  anything  else. 
Keep  on  "sawing  wood;"  and  do  not  be 


102  SALESMANSHIP 

scared  off.  These  people  are  often  but  "lath- 
and-plaster"  instead  of  the  iron  and  steel 
they  appear  to  be  at  first  sight.  Keep  firm  and 
calm,  is  the  keynote  in  dealing  with  them. 

The  Cautious  Buyer.  This  man  generally 
has  Cautiousness  and  Continuity  well  devel- 
oped, and  Hope  deficient.  He  is  conservative 
and  fearful.  Avoid  frightening  him  with 
ideas  of  "new"  things  or  "experiments." 
If  you  are  selling  new  things  cr  ideas,  manage 
to  blend  them  in  with  things  with  which  he  is 
familiar— associate  the  new  and  unfamiliar 
with  the  old  and  familiar.  And  be  conserva- 
tive and  careful  in  your  talk,  do  not  give  him 
the  idea  that  you  are  a  radical  or  a  "new 
f angled  idea ' '  man.  To  him,  be  an  "  old  fash- 
ioned person." 

The  Cunning  Buyer.  This  fellow  has  large 
Secretiveness  or  Cunning— he  belongs  to  the 
fox  tribe.  He  likes  to  scheme  out  things 
for  himself,  so  if  you  will  content  yourself 
with  giving  him  broad  hints,  accompanied  by 
expressive  glances,  regarding  what  can  be 
done  with  your  goods,  he  will  be  apt  to  scheme 
out  something  in  that  direction,  and  thinking 
he  has  done  it  all  himself,  he  will  be  pleased 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  103 

and  interested.  Let  him  know  that  you  appre- 
ciate his  shrewdness,  particularly  if  he  shows 
that  his  Approbativeness  is  well  developed. 
But,  if  not,  better  let  him  think  that  he  is  de- 
ceiving you  regarding  his  true  nature.  The 
majority  of  cunning  people,  however,  take 
pride  in  it,  and  relish  a  little  grim  apprecia- 
tion of  their  quality. 

The  Dignified  Buyer.  This  man  has  large 
Self  Esteem,  and  probably  also  large  Appro- 
bativeness. In  either  case,  let  him  play  the 
part  for  which  Nature  has  cast  him,  and  you 
play  yours.  Your  part  is  in  recognizing  and 
respecting  his  dignity,  by  your  manner  and 
tone.  Whether  the  dignity  be  real  or  assumed, 
a  recognition  of  and  falling  in  with  it  is  ap- 
preciated and  relished.  Imagine  that  you  are 
in  the  presence  of  your  revered  great-grand- 
father, or  the  bishop,  and  the  rest  will  be  easy. 
We  once  knew  of  a  jovial,  but  indiscreet,  sales- 
man who  lost  a  large  sale  to  a  buyer  of  this 
kind,  by  poking  him  in  the  ribs  and  calling 
him  "old  chap."  The  buyer  barely  escaped 
an  attack  of  apoplexy— the  Salesman  entirely 
escaped  a  sale. 

The  "Mean"  Buyer.    This  man  is  moved 


104  SALESMANSHIP 

by  Acquisitiveness.  He  is  suspicious  of  you 
from  the  start,  for  he  feels  that  you  intend  to 
get  some  money  from  him.  Don't  blame  him 
-he's  built  that  way.  Instead,  get  his  mind 
off  the  subject  and  on  to  another,  by  plunging 
in  at  once  with  the  statement  that  you  have 
something  upon  which  Jie  can  make  money, 
or  something  that  will  save  him  money.  Em- 
phasize these  points,  and  you  will  have 
aroused  his  curiosity.  Then  proceed  along 
the  same  lines— something  to  make  money  for 
him,  or  something  to  save  money  for  him — 
these  are  the  only  two  arguments  he  can  as- 
similate. 

The  Intelligent  Buyer.  These  people  de- 
pend almost  entirely  upon  reason  and  judg- 
ment. They  are  scarce.  "When  you  meet  one 
of  them,  drop  all  attempts  to  play  upon  weak 
points,  prejudices  or  feelings,  and  confine 
yourself  strictly  to  logical  and  rational  state- 
ments, presentation  of  your  proposition,  and 
argument  thereon.  Do  not  attempt  sophistry, 
argument  from  false  premises,  or  other  falla- 
cies. He  will  detect  them  at  once,  and  will 
feel  indignant,  Talk  straight  from  the  shoul- 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  105 

der,  and  confine  yourself  to  facts,  figures, 
principles,  and  logic. 

So  far  we  have  dealt  with  the  voluntary  or 
outer  mind  of  the  buyer.  Let  us  now  consider 
his  involuntary  or  inner  mind.  There  are 
many  other  terms  used  by  psychologists  to 
designate  these  two  phases  of  mind— the  im- 
portant fact  is  that  there  are  two  phases  or 
planes  of  mind  which  are  operative  in  a  sale. 
Let  us  see  how  they  work,  rather  than  what 
they  are,  or  what  they  are  called. 

Discarding,  for  the  time  being,  the  current 
psychological  theories  and  terminology,  let  us 
take  a  plain  look  at  the  facts  of  the  case.  A 
little  consideration  will  show  us  that  there  are 
two  parts  to  a  man's  mind— or  two  phases  of 
activity.  In  the  first  place,  there  is  a  part  of 
one's  mind  which  acts  as  does  the  mind  of  the 
higher  animal,  the  savage,  the  child.  That  is, 
'  it  acts  upon  impulse  and  without  restraint  of 
the  will.  Its  attention  is  easily  attracted,  but 
held  with  difficulty  unless  the  interest  and 
curiosity  is  awakened.  It  is  curious,  fond  of 
novelty,  inquisitive,  impulsive,  easily  per- 
suaded in  certain  directions,  susceptible  to 
impressions,  amenable  to  suggestion,  imita- 


106  SALESMANSHIP 

tive,  subject  to  panic,  apt  to  "follow  my 
leader,"  emotional,  depending  upon  feeling 
rather  than  upon  reason,  subject  to  persua- 
sion and  coaxing,  and  acting  almost  auto- 
matically in  response  to  awakened  desire.  Let 
us  think  of  this  part  of  the  mind  as  the  inher- 
itance of  the  race  from  the  past — the  instinct- 
ive mind— the  elemental  mind  of  the  race 
before  Intellect  mounted  its  throne.  This  part 
of  the  mind  is  possessed  by  every  individual 
of  the  race.  No  matter  how  highly  developed 
the  individual  may  be,  he  has  this  part  of  the 
mind.  No  matter  how  much  he  may  be  in 
control  of  it,  it  is  always  there  as  a  background 
and  basis  of  his  other  kind  of  mind.  The 
difference  in  the  self-control  of  individuals 
depends  almost  altogether  upon  the  other  part 
of  the  mind,  which  we  shall  now  consider — the 
Voluntary  Mind,  in  which  the  Intellect  and 
Will  are  the  predominant  elements.  The 
phase  which  we  have  just  considered  may  be 
called  the  Involuntary  Mind,  in  which  Desire 
and  Feeling  are  the  predominant  elements. 

The  Voluntary  Mind  has  come  to  man  in 
the  course  of  evolution.  It  is  not  nearly  so 
highly  developed  in  the  majority  of  people, 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  107 

as  one  might  at  first  suppose.  The  majority 
of  the  race  have  the  Involuntary  Mind  pre- 
dominant, and  are  swayed  more  by  feeling 
and  desire  than  by  intellect  and  will.  Those  in 
whom  the  Voluntary  Mind  is  highly  developed 
place  the  intellect  over  the  feelings— the  will 
over  the  desires.  They  submit  their  feelings 
to  the  inspection  and  approval  of  their  intel- 
lect, and  hold  their  desires  in  check  by  their 
will.  We  are  in  the  habit  of  thinking  of  will 
as  a  something  which  .acts— but  in  the  major- 
ity of  instances  it  is  found  to  be  employed  in 
checking  action  of  the  desires— in  holding 
back  rather  than  in  pushing  forward.  One  of 
the  chief  duties  of  the  developed  will  is  that  of 
inhibition,  or  restraint.  And  inhibition  de- 
pends upon  the  decision  of  the  judgment  or 
intellect.  The  animal,  savage,  or  child  has  but 
little  power  of  this  kind— the  average  individ- 
ual has  more  than  the  child  or  savage  but  less 
than  the  developed  individual— the  developed 
individual  has  better  self-control,  and  subor- 
dinates his  emotional  desires  and  feelings  to 
his  judgment  and  will,  by  inhibition  or  re- 
straint. Every  individual  has  both  of  these 
phases  of  mind— the  Involuntary  and  Volun- 


108  SALESMANSHIP 

tary-— the  latter,  however,  being  manifested 
in  an  infinite  variety  of  degrees  of  develop- 
ment and  power.  Back  of  every  Involun^- 
tary  Mind  is  to  be  found  the  protecting  Volun- 
tary Mind— and  likewise,  back  of  every 
Voluntary  Mind,  no  matter  how  strong  it  may 
be,  there  is  ever  the  Involuntary  Mind  chafing 
under  restraint  and  striving  to  escape  its 
master's  eye  and  express  itself  in  its  own 
way.  And  the  master  often  relaxes  its  atten- 
tion, or  gets  tired  of  its  strenuous  task,  and 
then1  the  hidden  nature  "plays  while  the  cat's 
away. ' ' 

Perhaps  the  Salesman  may  be  able  to  re- 
member this  classification  of  the  two  phases 
of  the  mind,  by  picturing  them  as  two  part- 
ners  engaged  in  business.  The  Salesman  is 
trying  to  secure  the  trade  of  the  firm.  The 
one  brother  is  an  easy-going  fellow,  possess- 
ing curiosity  and  childish  interest,  capable 
of  being  "jollied,"  persuaded  and  coaxed, 
and  apparently  acting  always  from  his  mo- 
mentary desires  and  feelings,  desirous  of  ap- 
pearing well  in  the  eyes  of  others,  and  anxious 
to  make  a  good  impression,  finding  it  easier 
to  say  "Yes,"  than  "No "-—easier  £o  fall  in 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  109 

with  the  wishes  of  others  than  to  oppose  them, 
being  vain  and  complaisant.  This  partner's 
name  is  "Easyboy."  The  other  partner  is 
an  entirely  different  sort  of  fellow.  He  is  cold 
and  calculating,  manifesting  very  little  feel- 
ing or  emotion,  submitting  everything  to  his 
reason  and  judgment,  not  moved  by  prejudices 
for  or  against,  driving  a  close  bargain  and  re- 
senting attempts  to  coax  or  drive  him.  His 
name  is  "Hardf  ellow." 

In  the  firm  of  "Easyboy  and  Hardf ello w, ' * 
the  work  is  divided.  "Easyboy"  has  much  to 
do  about  the  place,  attending  to  many  things 
for  which  his  temperament  specially  fits  him. 
' l  Hardf ellow, ' 9  however,  does  the  buying,  for 
experience  has  taught  him  that  "Easyboy" 
is  not  fitted  for  the  task,  being  too  much  under 
the  sway  of  his  feelings  and  being  too  easily 
influenced.  "Easyboy"  never  could  say 
"No,"  anyway— but  "Hardf ellow"  finds  it 
almost  as  hard  to  say  "yes."  So  "Hard- 
fellow"  does  the  buying,  but  "Easyboy"  al- 
ways "hangs  'round"  when  a  salesman  is 
talking,  for  he  is  naturally  inquisitive,  and, 
being  jealous,  rather  resents  "Hardf ellow  V 
authority  in  the  matter.  Sometimes  he 


110  SALESMANSHIP 

breaks  in,  and  "Hardfellow"  lets  him  have 
his  say,  and  at  times  indulges  him  in  minor 
purchases,  for  being  a  partner  he  must  accord 
him  some  consideration  in  spite  of  the  ar- 
rangement regarding  duties.  A  strange  thing 
is  that  "Easyboy"  is  possessed  of  the  notion 
that  he  would  make  an  ideal  buyer,  far  bet- 
ter than  "Hardfellow"  in  fact,  and  he  loses 
no  opportunity  of  manifesting  his  supposed 
quality,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he 
usually  makes  a  bungle  of  it. 

For  "Hardfellow"  is  often  so  busy  that  he 
cannot  give  his  full  attention  to  the  business 
of  buying;  then  again  he  becomes  tired  and 
at  such  times  his  judgment  is  not  so  good,  and 
he  is  apt  to  be  influenced  by  "Easyboy"  at 
such  times ;  and,  again,  he  becomes  interested 
in  one  feature  of  the  purchase  and  overlooks 
the  others— at  such  times  "Easyboy"  "gets 
in  his  fine  work,"  and  takes  a  hand  in  the 
buying.  The  Salesmen  who  visit  the  firm  are 
fully  aware  of  this  condition  of  affairs,  and 
plan  things  so  as  to  have  "Easyboy"  on  hand 
and  able  to  play  his  part.  They  can  do  any- 
thing with  him,  and  the  more  he  is  in  evidence 
the  better  are  their  chances.  If  he  had  his 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  111 

way  he  would  buy  corner  lots  in  the  moon,  or 
gold-bricks  minus  the  plating.  He  likes  to 
say  "Yes"  when  coaxed,  jollied  or  led.  But 
the  Salesmen  having  a  straight  business  prop- 
osition of  merit  get  along  well  with  "Hard- 
fellow,  ' '  for  he  is  reachable  on  such  lines  when 
logically  presented  and  explained  in  a  busi- 
ness way.  Even  such  Salesmen,  however,  find 
"Basyboy"  a  valuable  ally,  for  he  often  gets 
them  a  hearing  when  "Hardfellow"  is  busy 
or  otherwise  not  disposed  to  listen.  And  so, 
they  all  find  it  an  important  question  to  get 
"Easyboy"  on  the  scene  at  "Hardfellow's" 
elbow.  Some  claim  to  have  discovered  a 
method  whereby  they  can  "sidetrack" 
"HardfeUow"  and  get  "Easyboy"  to  do  the 
buying.  And  rumor  even  has  it  that  there 
have  been  unscrupulous  individuals  who  have 
happened  around  when  "Hardfellow"  was 
taking  his  siesta  after  a  full  dinner,  and  who 
then  played  upon  "Easyboy's"  weakness  in 
a  shameful  manner.  The  firm  deny  these 
rumors,  but  there  is  an  old  gold  brick  holding 
back  a  door  at  the  back  part  of  the  store ;  and 
a  big  bundle  of  worthless  shares  in  a  nicely 
printed  gold-mine  and  a  deed  for  a  quarter- 


112  SALESMANSHIP 

section  of  the  blue  sky,  in  the  safe — so  there 
may  have  been  something  in  the  tale,  after 
all. 

Every  mind  is  an  "Easyboy  and  Hardf el- 
low"  firm.  Both  partners  are  in  evidence.  In 
some  cases  "Easyboy"  has  far  more  sway 
and  influence  than  his  more  capable  partner ; 
in  others  they  have  equal  authority;  in  a 
third,  "Hardfellow"  asserts  his  right  and 
ability,  and  "Easyboy"  has  to  take  a  back 
seat  under  protest.  But  the  same  principle 
is  true  of  them  all.  And  this  fact  is  taken 
into  consideration  by  men  of  the  world  who 
understand  the  true  state  of  affairs.  If  anyone 
doubts  this  statement  of  psychological  facts, 
let  him  analyze  himself,  and  look  back  over 
his  own  experience.  He  will  find  that  "Easy- 
boy"  has  played  him  many  a  sad  trick  in  the 
past,  and  the  "Hardfellow"  has  been  "off 
his  job"  more  than  once.  Then  let  him  begin 
to  analyze  others  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 
tact—he will  see  the  same  state  of  affairs 
existing  there.  And  yet  there  is  no  mystery 
about  the  matter— it  is  all  in  accordance  with 
known  psychological  laws.  Some  writers  on 
the  subject  of  Salesmanship  rather  solemnly 


MIND  OF  THE  BUYER  113 

assure  us  that  the  "Easyboy"  part  of  the 
mind  is  a  "higher  mind"— but  it  is  not.  It 
belongs  to  the  instinctive  stage  of  mental  de- 
velopment, rather  than  to  the  rational.  It  is 
an  inheritance  from  the  past— that  past  in 
which  men  were  moved  entirely  by  feeling  and 
emotion,  before  reason  came  to  its  present 
stage  of  development.  If  it  is  "higher"  why 
is  it  a  fact  that  the  lower  races  and  individ- 
uals manifest  it  to  a  greater  extent  than  the 
higher  ones?  This  part  of  the  mind  gives 
vitality  and  energy  to  one,  but  unless  it  be 
controlled  by  Intellect  and  Will  it  is  apt  to 
prove  a  curse. 


CHAPTEE  VI 

THE  FEE-APPROACH 

Nearly  all  teachers  of  or  writers  upon 
Salesmanship  lay  much  stress  upon  what  is 
called  "The  Pre- Approach, "  by  which  term 
is  indicated  the  preliminaries  leading  up  to 
the  Approach  or  Interview  with  the  Buyer. 

What  we  have  said  under  the  head  of  ' '  The 
Mind  of  the  Salesman"  is  really  a  part  of  the 
Pre- Approach,  for  it  is  in  the  nature  of  the 
preparation  of  the  mind  of  the  salesman  for 
the  interview  with  the  buyer.  But  there  is 
more  than  this  to  the  Pre- Approach.  The 
Pre- Approach  is  the  mapping  out  of  the  cam- 
paign—"organizing  victory"  it  has  been 
called.  It  is  the  accumulation  of  ammunition 
for  the  fight,  and  the  laying  out  of  the  strat- 
egy. Macbain  says:  "The  Pre- Approach  is 
the  groundwork  upon  which  the  salesman 
builds.  It  comprises  all  the  information  ob- 
tainable by  him  that  will  be  of  importance  in 

114 


THE  PRE-APPROACH  115 

making  his  approach  in  selling  the  customer. 
A  sale,  in  fact,  resembles  chimney- 
building,  in  which  it  takes  more  time  for  pre- 
liminary scaffold-making  than  it  does  to 
build  the  permanent  structure  once  the  scaf- 
fold is  made. ' ' 

In  the  first  place,  an  important  part  of  the 
Pre-Approach  is  a  correct  and  complete 
knowledge  of  your  goods.  Too  many  men 
rush  to  the  Approach  without  knowing  what 
they  have  to  sell.  It  is  not  enough  to  know 
brands  and  prices— one  should  know  his  goods 
from  top  to  bottom,  inside  and  outside,  from 
the  raw  material  to  the  finished  article.  He 
should  feel  perfectly  at  home  with  his  goods, 
so  that  he  may  have  full  information  regard- 
ing them  on  tap,  and  thus  have  his  mind  free 
for  the  strategy  of  the  sale.  A  little  close, 
earnest  intelligent  study  of  one's  line  of 
goods  will  not  only  supply  one  with  an  efficient 
weapon,  but  will  also  impart  to  him  a  sense  of 
certainty  and  confidence  that  he  cannot  have 
otherwise.  What  would  be  thought  of  a 
teacher  of  natural  history  who  did  not  under- 
stand animals?  And  yet  many  salesmen  are 
equally  as  ignorant  about  their  subject. 


116  SALESMANSHIP 

The  salesman  should  understand  his  goods 
so  thoroughly  that  he  could  write  a  treatise 
on  them,  or  demonstrate  them  before  an  audi- 
ence of  experts  or  of  persons  entirely  in  ignor- 
ance of  them— the  latter  being  probably  the 
hardest  task.  He  should  be  able  to  explain 
their  particular  virtues  and  characteristics 
to  a  man  old  in  the  same  line,  or  to  explain 
them  simply  and  plainly  to  one  who  had  never 
seen  them  or  who  was  ignorant  of  their  uses. 
We  know  of  one  salesman  who  was  asked  by 
his  little  boy  to  explain  a  cash  register  to  him, 
and  who  complied  with  the  request.  He  told 
us  that  he  learned  more  about  his  cash  regis- 
ter in  the  process  of  that  explanation  than  he 
had  acquired  in  even  the  process  of  the  tech- 
nical demonstration  in  the  "salesman's 
school ' J  at  the  factory.  It  is  not  always  policy 
for  the  salesman  to  air  his  knowledge  of  his 
goods  to  his  customer— such  a  course  would 
generally  bore  the  latter — but  he  should  know 
all  about  his  goods,  nevertheless.  The  man 
who  knows  his  goods  in  this  way  plants  his 
feet  on  the  solid  rock  and  cannot  be  swept 
away,  while  the  man  who  builds  on  the  shift- 


THE  PRE-AppROACH  117 

ing  sand  of  "  half  -knowledge"  is  always  in 
danger. 

But  the  more  popular  branch  of  the  Pre- Ap- 
proach is  the  knowledge  of  the  customer.  Get 
as  many  points  regarding  the  characteristics, 
habits,  likes  and  dislikes  of  the  customer  as 
possible.  Find  out  as  much  as  you  can  about 
his  trade,  and  manner  of  conducting  his  busi- 
ness, as  well  as  his  business  history.  Macbain 
says :  ' '  There  is  really  no  information  about 
a  prospective  customer  that  can  be  said  to  be 
valueless.  On  the  other  hand,  a  knowledge  of 
one  or  two  of  the  characteristics  of  the  man  to 
be  approached  may  be  considered  sufficient, 
the  ready  intuition  of  the  salesman  being  re- 
lied upon  for  the  rest.  It  is  assumed,  of 
course,  that  a  salesman  will  be  able  to  call  his 
man  by  name,  pronouncing  the  name  correctly 
upon  the  very  first  interview.  This  is  the 
prime  requisite,  and  the  remaining  knowledge 
should  be  grouped  about  this  in  the  order  of 
its  importance." 

The  data  regarding  your  prospective  cus- 
tomer is  obtainable  in  many  ways.  Much  of 
it  you  may  obtain  from  your  house  if  they  have 
had  previous  dealings  with  him.  Other  sales- 


118  SALESMANSHIP 

men  will  also  add  to  the  data,  but  one  must  be 
on  the  lookout  here  and  not  allow  himself  to 
be  prejudiced  against  the  customer,  or  fright- 
ened by  adverse  reports  regarding  his  man* 
ner  and  characteristics  coming  from  other 
salesmen.  Pierce  says :  "It  would  seem  that 
the  good  characteristics  of  the  prospect  are 
desirable  to  learn.  But  it  is  a  conviction  that 
by  denying  to  one's  self  the  unfavorable 
things  said  about  your  prospect,  you  will  not 
accentuate  the  very  qualities  you  hope  to  ob- 
viate. One  attempt  at  a  sale  is  recalled  where 
the  prospect  was  said  to  be  'the  meanest 
man  on  earth.'  Almost  terrified  by  the  de- 
scription, the  salesman  went  at  the  prospect 
the  wrong  way;  displeased  him;  lost  the 
sale." 

Hotel  clerks— or  better  still,  hotel  proprie- 
tors— are  often  very  well  informed  regarding 
merchants  in  their  town,  and  often  valuable 
information  may  be  obtained  in  this  way,  al- 
though the  judgment  and  experience  of  the 
hotel  people  must  be  appraised  before  basing 
one's  own  opinion  regarding  the  customer. 
Other  customers  may  also  be  diplomatically 
pressed  into  service  in  obtaining  information 


THE  PRE-APPROACH  119 

regarding  their  competitors,  although  allow- 
ance must  always  be  made  for  the  personal 
bias  in  such  cases.  It  is  a  good  idea  for  the 
salesman  to  make  a  record  of  these  advance 
reports,  so  as  to  have  them  on  file  where  he 
may  refer  to  them  when  needed.  Some  sales- 
men have  a  card  index  devoted  to  this  pur- 
pose, which  they  have  found  very  useful. 

Another,  and  a  very  important  point  about 
the  Pre- Approach  is  that  of  developing  the 
proper  Mental  Attitude  in  yourself.  You 
must  get  yourself  right  first,  before  you  can 
get  anything  else  right.  Pierce  says  regard- 
ing this :  "Someone  has  said  that  the  greatest 
bane  to  selling  goods  is  fear.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  only  thing  you  are  afraid  of  is  that 
you  won't  make  the  sale,— get  the  check.  But, 
if  you  waive  this  point,  and  say,  'Now,  I  don't 
care  whether  I  get  this  sale  or  not.  I  do  know 
this :  I  am  honest,  my  goods  are  honest,  and 
if  this  man  does  not  want  them  there  are 
plenty  of  men  who  do,'  you  will  find  the  fear 
melting  like  the  mist  before  sunshine.  Fear 
cannot  live  in  the  presence  of  your  smile,  your 
confidence,  your  knowledge  of  the  business 
and  your  industry." 


120  SALESMANSHIP 

In  this  connection,  re-read  what  we  have 
said  to  you  regarding  the  "I"  and  "Self-Re- 
spect" in  the  chapter  entitled  "The  Mind  of 
the  Salesman."  This  chapter  was  written  to 
cover  just  such  cases  as  the  one  in  question. 
If  you  can  realize  the  "I"  within  you,  your 
fear  will  disappear  quickly.  Eemember, 
' '  there 's  nothing  to  fear  but  Fear. 9  J 

Many  successful  salesmen  state  that  they 
overcame  their  early  fear  and  timidity  by 
filling  themselves  with  auto-suggestions  that 
they  were  calling  on  the  customer  for  the  pur- 
pose of  doing  him  a  good  turn— that  it  was  a 
good  thing  for  the  customer  that  the  salesman 
was  calling  on  him,  although  he  did  not  know 
it— and  that  he,  the  salesman  must  let  noth- 
ing stand  in  the  way  of  doing  that  good  turn 
to  the  customer,  etc.  As  ridiculous  as  this 
may  appear  to  some,  it  will  be  found  to  work 
well  in  many  cases.  And  it  is  based  upon 
truth,  too,  for  if  the  goods  are  right,  and  the 
prices  are  likewise,  the  salesman  is  doing  the 
customer  a  good  turn. 

And  right  here,  let  us  impress  upon  you  the 
necessity  of  working  yourself  up  to  the  point 
of  believing  thoroughly  in  your  own  proposi- 


THE  PKE- APPROACH  121 

tion.  You  must  get  yourself  into  the  state  of 
mind  in  which,  if  you  were  in  the  customer's 
place,  you  would  surely  want  to  take  advan- 
tage of  it.  You  must  convert  yourself  before 
you  can  expect  to  convert  the  customer.  We 
know  an  ad.  man  who  tells  us  that  he  never 
feels  satisfied  with  an  ad.  that  he  is  writing 
until  he  can  make  himself  believe  that  he 
wants  to  buy  the  article  himself.  And  he  is 
right.  And  the  salesman  will  do  well  to  take 
a  leaf  from  his  book.  Enthusiasm  and  belief 
are  contagious.  If  you  believe  thoroughly  in 
a  thing,  you  run  a  much  better  chance  of 
making  others  believe  in  it  also,  than  if  you 
feel  otherwise.  You  must  learn  to  sett  to 
yourself  first,  then  you  may  sell  to  the  cus- 
tomer. 

W.  C.  Holman,  in  "Salesmanship,"  says: 
' '  One  cannot  make  others  believe  what  he 
himself  believes,  unless  he  himself  is  an 
earnest  believer.  Dwight  L.  Moody  swayed 
enormous  audiences  by  the  simple  power  of 
his  own  wonderful  earnestness.  No  one  could 
listen  to  Moody  without  saying:  'This  man 
believes  absolutely  every  word  he  is  speak- 
ing. If  he  feels  what  he  says  so  tremendously, 


122  SALESMANSHIP 

there  must  be  something  in  it.'  If  every  sales- 
man realized  how  largely  the  attitude  of  the 
' prospect'  depended  upon  the  salesman's  own 
mental  attitude,  he  would  be  as  careful  to  get 
into  the  right  frame  of  mind  when  he  started 
out  to  approach  a  prospect  as  he  would  be  to 
carry  a  sample  case.  It  is  a  simple  matter 
for  him  to  do  this.  All  that  is  necessary  is  for 
him  to  Hake  account  of  stock'  just  before  he 
starts  out— to  enumerate  to  himself  all  the 
strong,  convincing  points  in  his  proposition 
—to  consider  the  good  high  qualities  of  the 
goods  he  is  selling— run  over  in  his  mind  the 
splendid  characteristics  of  his  house— think 
of  the  great  number  of  customers  who  have 
bought  his  product— and  of  the  supremely 
satisfying  reasons  why  other  customers 
should  buy  his  goods.  In  other  words,  before 
a  salesman  starts  to  sell  other  men,  he  should 
sell  himself.  He  should  make  this  sale  to 
himself  at  the  beginning'  of  every  day's 
work." 

The  student  should  acquaint  himself  thor- 
oughly with  the  creative  force  of  Suggestion 
and  Auto-Suggestion  in  Character  Building, 
and  in  producing  and  maintaining  the  proper 


THE  PRE- APPROACH  123 

Mental  Attitude.  The  volume  of  this  series 
entitled  "Suggestion  and  Auto-Suggestion" 
gives  both  the  theory,  principles  and  methods 
of  applying  Auto-Suggestion  in  the  direc- 
tions named.  One  need  no  longer  be  a  slave 
of  his  Mental  Attitude.  On  the  contrary  he 
may  create  and  preserve  the  Mental  Attitude 
he  deems  advisable  and  necessary  at  any 
time. 

Mr.  W.  C.  Holman,  one  of  the  best  of  the 
inspirational  writers  on  Salesmanship,  gives 
the  following  interesting  instance  of  the  use 
of  Auto-Suggestion  by  a  salesman.  He  says : 
"One  of  the  best  salesmen  the  writer  ever 
knew  got  up  what  he  called  his  catechism.  He 
used  to  put  himself  through  it  every  morning 
before  starting  out.  Oftentimes  he  repeated 
it  aloud  if  he  had  the  opportunity.  The  ques- 
tions he  would  repeat  in  a  quiet  tone,  but  the 
answers  he  would  pronounce  with  all  the 
earnestness  of  which  he  was  capable.  His 
catechism  ran  somewhat  as  follows: 

"Am  I  working  for  a  good  house?    YES! 

"Has  my  house  the  reputation  and  pres- 
tige of  being  one  of  the  best  in  its  line!  YES ! 

"Have  we  made  hundreds  of  thousands  of 


124  SALESMAKSHIP 

sales  like  the  sales  I  am  going  to  make  to- 
day? YE&! 

"Have  we  an  enormous  body  of  satisfied 
users?  YES! 

"Am  I  selling  the  best  goods  of  the  kind 
made  anywhere  in  the  world?  YES ! 

6 '  Is  the  price  I  am  asking  a  fair  one  ?   YES ! 

"Do  the  men  I  am  going  to  call  on  need  the 
article  I  am  selling?  YES ! 

' '  Do  they  realize  that  now  ?    NO ! 

"Is  that  the  very  reason  I  am  going  to  call 
on  them— because  at  present  they  don't  want 
my  goods,  and  haven't  yet  bought  them? 
YES! 

"Am  I  justified  in  asking  a  prospect's  time 
and  attention  to  present  my  proposition? 
BY  ALL  THE  POWEBS,  YES ! 

"Am  I  going  to  get  into  the  office  of  every 
man  that  I  call  on,  if  there  is  any  earthly  way 
to  do  it?  YES! 

"Am  I  going  to  sell  every  man  I  call  on  to- 
day? YOU  BET  I  AM  I" 

Eef erring  to  the  above  "catechism"  of  Mr. 
Holman,  we  would  say  that  if  a  man  would 
work  himself  up  to  the  point  of  asking  and 
answering  these  questions  in  earnest,  and 


THE  PRE-APPROACH  125 

would  carry  the  spirit  thereof  through  the 
day,  he  would  render  himself  almost  invinc- 
ible. A  spirit  like  that  is  the  spirit  of  the 
Light  Brigade,  of  Napoleon,  of  the  Berserker 
Norseman  who  made  a  way  for  himself.  Such 
a  man  would  make  opportunities,  instead  of 
begging  for  them.  Such  a  man  would  be  in- 
spired. This  is  Auto-Suggestion  raised  to 
the  Nth  Power.  Try  it— you  need  it  in  your 
business ! 

The  second  phase  of  the  Pre-Approach  is 
that  of  obtaining  an  interview  with  the  pros- 
pective customer,  generally  known  as  "the 
prospect. ' '  In  many  instances  the  salesman  is 
able  to  secure  the  interview  by  simply  walk- 
ing into  the  presence  of  the  prospect,  the 
latter  being  in  full  view  in  his  store  or  office 
and  no  intermediary  being  present  to  inter- 
cept the  approach.  In  such  cases  the  second 
phase  of  the  Pre-Approach  is  passed  over, 
and  the  actual  Approach  is  entered  into  at 
once.  But  in  other  cases,  particularly  in  the 
large  office  buildings  of  the  principal  cities, 
tho  prospect  is  found  to  be  in  his  private  office, 
I  the  salesman's  advance  is  halted  by  a 
:k,  or  even  an  office  boy,  and  there  are  cer- 


126  SALESMANSHIP 

tain  preliminaries  to  be  gone  through  with 
before  an  interview  may  be  obtained.  In  many 
cases,  "big"  men  (or  those  who  wish  to  be 
considered  "big")  surround  themselves  with 
so  much  formality  and  red-tape  that  it  is  quite 
a  feat  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  guardians  of 
the  inner  temple,  and  much  tact,  diplomacy, 
presence  of  mind,  and  often  strategy  is  re- 
quired of  the  Salesman  in  order  that  he  may 
"get  at  his  man." 

Macbain,  in  his  work  entitled  "Selling," 
says  of  this  stage:  "Between  the  pre-ap- 
proach  and  the  actual  approach  sometimes  lies 
a  trying  time  for  the  salesman.  It  is  no  un- 
common thing  for  a  prospective  customer  to 
keep  a  salesman  waiting,  either  outside  the 
office  door  and  out  of  sight,  or  inside  and  in 
the  presence  of  the  prospective  buyer.  This 
is  known  as  'breaking  the  salesman's  nerve.' 
It  is  often  done  with  the  idea  of  deliberately 
making  the  salesman  nervous  and  conse- 
quently unable  to  make  such  an  approach  as 
otherwise  would  be  possible..  Perhaps  one  of 
the  most  common  forms  of  this  is  seen  when 
the  prospective  customer  appears  to  be  very 
busily  interested  in  something  at  his  desk  and 


THE  PBE-APPKOACH  127 

allows  the  salesman  to  stand  an  indefinite 
length  of  time  and  then  turns  suddenly  upon 
him.  This  is  especially  disconcerting  to  the 
young  man,  but  the  experienced  salesman  rec- 
ognizes it  as  an  indication  that  either  the  man 
is  very  busy  and  actually  hates  to  take  his 
mind  off  his  work,  or  that  he  is  afraid  of  be- 
ing talked  into  something  that  he  will  later  re- 
gret. The  salesman  consequently  shapes  his 
introduction  accordingly  and  will  in  no  wise 
be  disconcerted  by  this  attempt  as  it  will  en- 
able him  to  study  carefully  the  outward  char- 
acteristics of  the  man  whom  he  is  about  to 
approach." 

In  many  cases  this  waiting  is  forced  on  the 
salesman  by  a  prospect  who  also  knows  some- 
thing of  the  laws  of  psychology— for  such 
knowledge  is  not  confined  to  the  salesman  by 
any  means,  the  buyer  having  posted  himself 
in  many  cases.  In  the  game  of  checkers  or 
draughts  quite  an  important  advantage  ac- 
crues to  the  player  securing  what  is  technically 
known  as  "the  move,"  which,  however,  is  a 
very  different  thing  from  the  "first  play." 
There  is  in  the  psychology  of  the  sale,  or  of 
the  interview  between  two  people  of  equal 


128  SALESMANSHIP 

strength,  a  something  which  corresponds 
very  closely  with  "the  move"  in  checkers. 
This  something  gives  a  decided  advantage  to 
the  person  securing  it,  and  it  is  worth  striving 
for.  This  something  is  subtle  and  almost  in- 
describable, although  apparent  to  every  one 
who  has  dealings  with  his  fellow  men.  It 
seems  to  be  a  matter  of  mental  balance  and 
poise.  The  salesman,  if  he  be  well  balanced 
and  poised,  is  "positive"  to  the  buyer,  the  lat- 
ter being  in  a  listening,  and  therefore  passive, 
attitude.  So  far  the  salesman  has  "the 
move,"  which  however  he  may  later  lose  if 
the  prospect  plays  scientifically.  Well,  to  get 
back  to  the  "waiting"  stage,  the  prospect  by 
disturbing  the  salesman's  poise,  and  "break- 
ing his  nerve ' '  by  keeping  him  waiting  on  the 
anxious  bench  in  a  state  of  suspense,  often 
manages  to  get  "the  move"  on  him,  unless  he 
understands  the  psychology  of  the  process  and 
accordingly  avoids  it.  Suspense  is  the  most 
nerve-breaking  mental  state  on  the  psycho- 
logical list,  as  all  realize  who  have  experi- 
enced it.  Beware  of  losing  "the  move." 

An  important  factor  in  getting  past  the 
stockade  of  the  outer  office  is  the  conscious- 


THE  PRE-APPROACH  129 

ness  of  Self  Eespect  and  the  realization  of  the 
"I"  of  which  we  have  spoken.  This  mental 
attitude  impresses  itself  upon  those  who 
guard  the  outer  works,  and  serves  to  clear  the 
way.  As  Pierce  says :  ' '  Bemember,  you  are 
asking  no  favors;  that  you  have  nothing  to 
apologize  for,  and  that  you  have  every  reason 
in  the  world  for  holding  your  head  high. 
And  it  is  wonderful  what  this  holding  up  of 
the  head  will  do  in  the  way  of  increasing 
sales.  We  have  seen  salesmen  get  entrance 
to  the  offices  of  Broadway  buyers  simply 
through  the  holding  of  the  head  straight  up 
from  the  shoulders."  But  it  is  the  Mental 
Attitude  back  of  the  physical  -expression  that 
is  the  spirit  of  the  thing— don't  forget  this. 

The  Mental  Attitude  and  the  physical  ex- 
pression thereof  instinctively  influence  the 
conduct  of  other  people  toward  one.  We  may 
see  the  same  thing  illustrated  in  the  attitude 
and  action  of  the  street  boy  toward  dogs.  Let 
some  poor  cur  trot  along  with  drooping  ears, 
timid  expression,  meek  eyes,  and  tail  between 
his  legs,  and  the  urchin  will  be  apt  to  kick 
him  or  throw  a  rock  at  his  retreating  form. 
Note  the  difference  when  the  self-respecting 


130  SALESMANSHIP 

dog,  with  spirit  in  him,  trots  past,  looking  the 
boy  fearlessly  in  the  eye  and  showing  his 
sense  of  self-respect  and  power  to  back  it  up 
in  every  movement.  That  dog  is  treated  ac- 
cordingly. There  are  certain  people  whose 
manner  is  such  that  they  do  not  need  to  ask 
respect  and  consideration— it  is  given  them 
as  a  matter  of  right  and  privilege.  People 
stand  aside  to  give  them  room,  and  move  up 
in  street  cars  that  they  may  have  a  seat.  And 
it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  the  person 
to  whom  this  respect  is  shown  is  a  worthy  in- 
dividual or  a  person  of  fine  qualities— he 
may  be  a  confidence  man  or  a  swindler.  But 
whatever  he  is,  or  may  be,  he  has  certain  out- 
ward mannerisms  and  characteristics  which 
enable  him  to  "put  up  a  good  front"  and 
which  carry  him  through.  At  the  back  of  it 
all  will  be  found  certain  mental  states  which 
produce  the  genuine  outward  characteristics 
and  manner  in  the  case  of  genuine  instances  of 
persons  possessing  authority  and  high  posi- 
tion, the  confidence  man  merely  presenting  a 
passable  counterfeit,  being  a  good  actor. 

It  is  often  necessary  for  the  salesman  to 
send  in  a  card  to  the  inner  office.    It  is  well 


THE  PRE- APPROACH  131 

for  him  to  have  some  cards,  well  engraved  in 
the  most  approved  manner,  bearing  simply 
his  name:  "Mr.  John  Jay  Jones,"  with  his 
business  appearing  thereon.  If  he  is  trav- 
elling from  a  large  city,  and  is  selling  in 
smaller  towns,  he  may  have  "New  York," 
"Chicago,"  "Philadelphia,"  "Boston,"  etc., 
as  the  case  may  be  in  the  corner  of  his  card. 
If  the  name  of  his  business  appears  on  the 
card  the  prospect  often  goes  over  the  matter 
of  a  possible  sale,  mentally,  without  the  sales- 
man being  present  to  present  his  case,  and 
then  may  decline  to  grant  an  interview.  The 
name,  without  the  business,  often  arouses  in- 
terest or  curiosity  and  thus,  instead  of  hin- 
dering, really  aids  in  securing  the  interview. 

Eegarding  the  discussion  of  the  business 
with  anyone  other  than  the  prospect  himself, 
the  authorities  differ.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it 
would  seem  to  depend  largely  upon  the  par- 
ticular circumstances  of  each  case,  the  nature 
of  the  articles  to  be  sold,  and  the  character 
and  position  of  the  subordinate  in  question. 

One  set  of  authorities  hold  that  it  is  very 
poor  policy  to  tell  your  business  to  a  subor- 
dinate, and  that  it  is  far  better  to  tell  him 


132  SALESMANSHIP 

courteously  but  firmly  that  your  business 
is  of  such  a  nature  that  you  can  discuss  it  only 
with  the  prospect  in  person.  Otherwise,  it 
is  held  that  the  subordinate  will  tell  you  that 
the  matter  in  question  has  already  been  con- 
sidered by  his  principal,  and  that  he  is  fully 
informed  regarding  the  proposition,  and  has 
given  orders  that  he  is  not  to  be  disturbed 
further  regarding  it. 

The  other  set  of  authorities  hold  that  in 
many  cases  the  subordinate  may  be  pressed 
into  service,  by  treating  him  with  great  re- 
spect, and  an  apparent  belief  in  his  judgment 
and  authority,  winning  his  good-will  and 
getting  him  interested  in  your  proposition, 
and  endeavoring  to  have  him  "  speak  about 
it"  to  his  superior  during  the  day.  It  is 
claimed  that  a  subsequent  call,  the  day  fol- 
lowing, will  often  prove  successful,  as  the 
subordinate  will  have  paved  the  way  for  an 
interview  and  have  actually  done  some  work 
for  you  in  the  way  of  influence  and  selling 
talk.  It  is  held  that  some  salesmen  have 
made  permanent  " friends  in  camp"  of  these 
subordinates  who  have  been  approached  in 
this  way. 


THE  PRE-APPROACH  133 

It  would  seera,  however,  as  we  have  said, 
to  depend  much  upon  the  particular  circum- 
stances of  the  case.  In  some  cases  the  subor- 
dinate is  merely  a  "hold-off,"  or  "break- 
water;" while  in  others  he  is  a  confidential 
employee  whose  opinion  has  weight  with  the 
prospect,  and  whose  good-will  and  aid  are 
well  worth  securing.  In  any  event,  however, 
it  is  well  to  gain  the  respect  and  good-will  of 
those  in  the  "outer  court,"  for  they  can  often 
do  much  in  the  way  of  helping  or  injuring  your 
chances.  "We  have  known  cases  in  which  sub- 
ordinates "queered"  a  salesman  who  had 
offended  them;  and  we  have  known  other 
cases  in  which  the  subordinate  being  pleased 
by  the  salesman  "put  him  next."  It  is  al- 
ways better  to  make  a  friend  rather  than  an 
enemy— from  the  office-boy  upward— on  gen- 
eral principles.  Many  a  fine  warrior  has 
been  tripped  up  by  a  small  pebble.  Strong 
men  have  died  from  the  bite  of  a  mosquito. 

The  following  advice  from  J.  F.  Gillen,  the 
Chicago  manager  of  the  Burroughs  Adding 
Machine  Company,  is  very  much  to  the  point. 
Mr.  Gillen,  in  the  magazine  "Salesmanship," 
says:  "A  salesman  who  has  not  proved  his 


134  SALESMANSHIP 

mettle —and  who,  unfortunately,  is  not  sure 
of  himself— is  likely  to  be  overcome  by  a 
sense  of  his  own  insignificance  on  entering 
the  private  domain  of  the  great  man,  rich 
man,  or  influential  man,  from  whom  he  hopes 
to  get  an  order.  The  very  hum  and  rush  of 
business  in  this  boss's  office  are  very  awe- 
inspiring.  The  fact  that  there  exists  an  iron- 
clad rule,  designed  to  protect  the  boss  against 
intrusion,  forbidding  the  admittance  of  an 
uninvited  salesman— and  the  fact  that  the 
army  of  employees  are  bound  by  this  rule  to 
oppose  the  entrance  of  any  such  visitor — 
combine  to  make  an  untried  salesman  morally 
certain  of  his  powerlessness;  to  make  him 
feel  that  he  has  no  justifiable  reason  for  pre- 
senting himself  at  all.  Indeed  he  has  none, 
if  the  awe  which  he  feels  for  red-tape,  rules, 
dignitaries,  has  made  him  lose  sight  of  the  at- 
tractions of  his  own  proposition;  has  swal- 
lowed up  his  confidence  in  what  he  has  to 
offer  and  his  ability  to  enthuse  the  prospect  in 
regard  to  it.  *  *  *  If  you  believe  that 
your  proposition  will  prove  interesting1  to  the 
prospect  and  that  he  will  profit  by  doing  busi- 
ness with  you,  you  have  a  right  to  feel  that 


THE  PRE-AppROAcH  135 

the  rule  barring  salesmen  from  his  presence 
was  not  intended  to  bar  you.  Convince  your- 
self of  this  and  the  stern  negative  of  the  in- 
formation clerk  will  not  abash  you.  You  will 
find  yourself  endowed  with  a  courage  and  re- 
sourcefulness to  cope  with  a  slick  secretary 
who  gives  glibly  evasive  replies  when  you  try 
to  find  out  whether  Mr.  Prospect  is  now  in 
his  office,  whether  he  cannot  see  you  at  once, 
and  what  reason  exists  for  supposing  you 
could  possibly  tell  your  business  to  any  subor- 
dinate in  place  of  him.  Once  you  are  thus 
morally  sure  of  your  ground,  the  hardest  part 
of  the  battle  is  won.  *  *  *  You  can  see 
the  prospect  and  get  speech  with  him,  no  mat- 
ter what  obstacles  intervene,  if  your  nerve 
holds  out  and  you  use  your  brains." 

Eemember  this,  always:  The  Psychology 
of  Salesmanship  applies  not  only  to  work 
with  the  prospect,  but  also  to  work  with  those 
who  bar  the  way  to  him.  Subordinates  have 
minds,  faculties,  feelings  and  strong  and 
weak  points  of  mentality— they  have  their 
psychology  just  as  their  employer  has  his.  It 
will  pay  you  to  make  a  careful  study  of  their 


136  SALESMANSHIP 

psychology— it  has  its  rules,  laws  and  princi- 
ples. This  is  a  point  often  overlooked  by 
little  salesmen,  but  fully  recognized  by  the 
"big"  ones.  The  short  cut  to  the  mind  of 
many  a  prospect  is  directly  through  the  mind 
of  the  man  in  the  outer  office. 


CHAPTER  WI 

THE   PSYCHOLOGY    OF   PURCHASE 

There  are  several  stages  or  phases  mani- 
fested by  the  buyer  in  the  mental  process 
which  results  in  a  purchase.  "While  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  state  a  hard  and  fast  rule  regarding 
the  same,  because  of  the  variety  of  tempera- 
ment, tendencies  and  mental  habits  possessed 
in  several  degrees  by  different  individuals, 
still  there  are  certain  principles  of  feeling 
and  thought  manifested  alike  by  each  and 
every  individual  buyer,  and  a  certain  logical 
sequence  is  followed  by  all  men  in  each  and 
every  original  purchase.  It  follows,  of 
course,  that  these  principles,  and  this  se- 
quence, will  be  found  to  be  operative  in  each 
and  every  original  purchase,  whether  that 
purchase  be  the  result  of  an  advertisement, 
display  of  goods,  recommendation,  or  the 
efforts  of  a  salesman.  The  principle  is  the 
same  in  each  and  every  case,  and  the  sequence 

137 


138  SALESMANSHIP 

of  the  mental  states  is  the  same  in  each  and 
every  instance.  Let  us  now  consider  these 
several  mental  states  in  their  usual  sequence. 
The  several  mental  states  manifested  by 
every  buyer  in  an  original  purchase  are  given 
below  in  the  order  of  sequence  in  which  they 
are  usually  manifested:— 

Involuntary  Attention. 
First  Impression. 
Curiosity. 

Associated  Interest. 
Consideration.^     $/wfa^™*fl 
Imagination. 
Inclination. 
Deliberation.  - 
Decision. 
X.    Action. 

We  use  the  term  "original  purchase"  in 
this  connection  in  order  to  distinguish  the 
original  purchase  from  a  repeated  order  or 
subsequent  purchase  of  the  same  article,  in 
which  latter  instance  the  mental  process  is 
far  more  simple  and  which  consists  merely  in 
recognizing  the  inclination,  or  habit,  and 
ordering  the  goods,  without  repeating  the 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  139 

original  complex  mental  operation.  Let  us 
now  proceed  to  a  consideration  of  the  several 
mental  stages  of  the  original  purchase,  in 
logical  sequence:— 

I.  Involuntary  Attention.  This  mental 
state  is  the  elementary  phase  of  attention. 
Attention  is  not  a  faculty  of  the  mind,  but  is 
instead  the  focusing  of  the  consciousness 
upon  one  object  to  the  temporary  exclusion  of 
all  other  objects.  It  is  a  turning  of  the  mind 
on  an  object.  The  object  of  attention  may  be 
either  external,  such  as  a  person  or  thing ;  or 
internal,  such  as  a  feeling,  thought,  memory, 
or  idea.  Attention  may  be  either  voluntary, 
that  is,  directed  consciously  by  the  will;  or 
involuntary,  that  is,  directed  unconsciously 
and  instinctively  and  apparently  indepen- 
dently of  the  will.  Voluntary  attention  is  an 
acquired  and  developed  power  and  is  the  at- 
tribute of  the  thinker,  student  and  jntellec- 
tual  individual  in  all  walks  of  life.  Voluntary 
attention,  on  the  contrary,  is  but  little  more 
than  a  reflex  action,  or  a  nervous  response  to 
some  stimulus.  As  Halleck  says:  "Many 
persons  scarcely  get  beyond  the  reflex  stage. 
Any  chance  stimulus  will  take  their  attention 


140  SALESMANSHIP 

away  from  their  studies  or  their  business." 
Sir  William  Hamilton  made  a  still  finer  dis- 
tinction, which  is,  however,  generally  over- 
looked by  writers  on  the  subject,  but  which  is 
scientifically  correct  and  which  we  shall  fol- 
low in  this  book.  He  holds  that  there  are 
three  degrees  or  kinds  of  attention:  (1) 
the  reflex  or  involuntary,  which  is  instinctive 
in  nature;  (2)  that  determined  by  desire  or 
feeling,  which  partakes  of  both  the  involun- 
tary and  voluntary  nature,  and  which  al- 
though partly  instinctive  may  be  resisted  by 
the  will  under  the  influence  of  the  judgment ; 
and  (3)  that  determined  by  deliberate  vo- 
lition in  response  to  reason,  as  in  study, 
scientific  games,  rational  deliberation,  etc. 

The  first  mental  step  of  the  purchase  un- 
doubtedly consists  of  involuntary  or  reflex 
attention,  such  as  is  aroused  by  a  sudden 
sound,  sight,  or  other  sensation.  The  degree 
of  this  involuntary  attention  depends  upon 
the  intensity,  suddenness,  novelty,  or  move- 
ment of  the  object  to  which  it  responds.  All 
persons  respond  to  the  stimuli  arousing  this 
form  of  attention,  but  in  different  degrees  de- 
pending upon  the  preoccupation  or  concen- 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  141 

tration  of  the  individual  at  the  time.  The 
striking  or  novel  appearance  of  an  advertise- 
ment; the  window-display  of  goods;  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  salesman— all  these  things 
instinctively  arouse  the  involuntary  atten- 
tion, and  the  buyer  "turns  his  mind  on" 
them.  But  this  turning  the  mind  on  belongs 
to  Hamilton's  first  class — that  of  the  in- 
stinctive response  to  the  sight  or  sound,  and 
not  that  aroused  by  desire  or  deliberate 
thought.  It  is  the  most  elemental  form  of 
attention  or  mental  effort,  and  to  the  sales- 
man means  simply:  "Well,  I  see  you !"  Some- 
times the  prospect  is  so  preoccupied  or  con- 
centrated on  other  things  that  he  barely 
"sees"  the  salesman  until  an  added  stimulus 
is  given  by  a  direct  remark. 

II.  First  Impression.  This  mental  state 
is  the  hasty  generalization  resulting  from  the 
first  impression  of  the  object  of  attention— 
the  advertisement,  suggestion,  display  of 
goods,  or  the  Salesman— depending  in  the 
last  case  upon  the  general  appearance,  action, 
manner,  etc.,  as  interpreted  in  the  light  of 
experience  or  association.  In  other  words, 
the  prospect  forms  a  hasty  general  idea  of 


142  SALESMANSHIP 

the  thing  or  person,  either  favorable  or  un- 
favorable, almost  instinctively  and  uncon- 
sciously. The  thing  or  person  is  associated 
or  classed  with  others  resembling  it  in  the 
experience  and  memory  of  the  prospect,  and 
the  result  is  either  a  good,  bad  or  indifferent 
impression  resulting  from  the  suggestion  of 
association.  For  this  reason  the  ad.  man  and 
the  window  dresser  endeavor  to  awaken 
favorable  and  pleasing  associated  memories 
and  suggestions,  and  "puts  his  best  foot 
foremost."  The  Salesman  endeavors  to  do 
the  same,  and  seeks  to  "put  up  a  good 
front"  in  his  Approach,  in  order  to  secure 
this  valuable  favorable  first  impression. 
People  are  influenced  more  than  they  will 
admit  by  these  "first  impressions,"  or  sug- 
gestions, of  appearance,  manner,  etc.,  and  the 
man  who  understands  psychology  places 
great  importance  upon  them.  A  favorable 
first  impression  smooths  the  way  for  the  suc- 
cessful awakening  of  the  later  mental  states. 
An  unfavorable  first  impression,  while  it  may 
be  removed  and  remedied  later,  nevertheless 
is  a  handicap  which  the  Salesman  should 
avoid. 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  143 

(Note:  The  mental  process  of  the  pur- 
chase now  passes  from  the  stage  of  involun- 
tary  attention,  to  that  of  attention  inspired 
by  desire  and  feeling  which  partakes  of  both 
the  voluntary  and  involuntary  elements.  The 
first  two  stages  of  this  form  of  attention  are 
known  as  Curiosity  and  Associated  Interest, 
respectively.  In  some  cases  Curiosity  pre- 
cedes, in  others  Associated  Interest  takes  the 
lead,  as  we  shall  see.  In  other  cases  the  mani- 
festation of  the  two  is  almost  simultaneous.) 

III.  Curiosity.  This  mental  state  is 
really  a  form  of  Interest,  but  is  more  ele^ 
mental  than  Associated  Interest,  being 
merely  the  interest  of  novelty.  It  is  the 
strongest  item  of  interest  in  the  primitive 
races,  in  children,  and  in  many  adults  of  ele- 
mental development  and  habits  of  thought. 
Curiosity  is  the  form  of  Interest  which  is 
almost  instinctive,  and  which  impels  one  to 
turn  the  attention  to  strange  and  novel 
things,  All  animals  possess  it  to  a  marked 
degree,  as  trappers  have  found  out  to  their 
profit.  Monkeys  possess  it  to  an  inordinate 
degree,  and  the  less  developed  individuals 
of  the  human  race  also  manifest  it  to  a  high 


144  SALESMANSHIP 

degree.  It  is  connected  in  some  way  with  the 
primitive  conditions  of  living  things,  and  is 
probably  a  heritage  from  earlier  and  less  se- 
cure conditions  of  living,  where  inquisitive- 
ness  regarding  new,  novel  and  strange  sights 
and  sounds  was  a  virtue  and  the  only  means 
of  acquiring  experience  and  education.  At 
any  rate,  there  is  certainly  in  human  nature- 
a  decided  instinctive  tendency  to  explore  the 
unknown  and  strange— the  attraction  of  the 
mysterious ;  the  lure  of  the  secret  things ;  the 
tantalizing  call  of  the  puzzle ;  the  fascination 
of  the  riddle. 

The  Salesman  who  can  introduce  some- 
thing in  his  opening  talk  that  will  arouse 
Curiosity  in  the  prospect  has  done  much  to 
arouse  his  attention  and  interest.  The  street- 
corner  fakir,  and  the  "barker"  for  the 
amusement-park  show,  understand  this  prin- 
ciple in  human  nature,  and  appeal  largely 
to  it.  They  will  blindfold  a  boy  or  girl,  or 
will  make  strange  motions  or  sounds,  in  order 
to  arouse  the  curiosity  of  the  crowd  and  to 
cause  them  to  gather  around-— all  this  before 
the  actual  appeal  to  interest  is  made.  In 
some  buyers  Curiosity  precedes  Associated 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PUECHASE  145 

Interest— the  interest  in  the  unknown  and 
novel  precedes  the  practical  interest.  In 
others  the  Associated  Interest— the  practical 
interest  inspired  by  experience  and  associa- 
tion—precedes Curiosity,  the  latter  manifest- 
ing simply  as  inquisitiveness  regarding  the 
details  of  the  object  which  has  aroused  Asso- 
ciated Interest.  In  other  cases,  Curiosity 
and  Associated  Interest  are  so  blended  and 
shaded  into  each  other  that  they  act  almost 
as  one  and  simultaneously.  On  the  whole, 
though,  Curiosity  is  more  elemental  and 
crude  than  Associated  Interest,  and  may 
readily  be  distinguished  in  the  majority  of 
cases. 

IV.  Associated  Interest.  This  mental 
state  is  a  higher  form  of  interest  than  Curi- 
osity. It  is  a  practical  interest  in  things  relat- 
ing to  one's  interests  in  life,  his  weal  or 
woe,  loves  or  hates,  instead  of  being  the  mere 
interest  in  novelty  of  Curiosity.  It  is  an  ac- 
quired trait,  while  Curiosity  is  practically  an 
instinctive  trait.  Acquired  Interest  devel- 
ops with  character,  occupation,  and  educa- 
tion, while  Curiosity  manifests  strongly  in 
the  very  beginnings  of  character,  and  before 


146  SALESMANSHIP 

education.  Acquired  Interest  is  manifested 
more  strongly  in  the  man  of  affairs,  educa- 
tion and  experience,  while  Curiosity  has  its 
fullest  flower  in  the  monkey,  savage,  young 
child  and  uncultured  adult.  Eecognizing  the 
relation  between  the  two,  it  may  be  said  that 
Curiosity  is  the  root,  and  Associated  Interest 
the  flower. 

Associated  Interest  depends  largely  upon 
the  principle  of  Association  or  Apperception, 
the  latter  being  defined  as  ' '  that  mental  pro- 
cess by  which  the  perceptions  or  ideas  are 
brought  into  relation  to  our  previous  ideas 
and  feelings,  and  thus  are  given  a  new  clear- 
ness, meaning  and  application. "  Apper- 
ception is  the  mental  process  by  which  objects 
and  ideas  presented  to  us  are  perceived  and 
thought  of  by  us  in  the  light  of  our  past  ex- 
perience, temperament,  tastes,  likes  and  dis- 
likes, occupation,  interest,  prejudices,  etc., 
instead  of  as  they  actually  are.  We  see  every- 
thing through  the  colored  glasses  of  our  own 
personality  and  character.  Halleck  says  of 
Apperception:  "A  woman  may  apperceive 
a  passing  bird  as  an  ornament  to  her  bonnet; 
a  fruit  grower,  as  an  insect  killer;  a  poet,  as 


PSYCHOLOGY  or  PURCHASE  147 

a  songster ;  an  artist,  as  a  fine  bit  of  coloring 
and  form.  The  housewife  may  apperceive 
old  rags  as  something  to  be  thrown  away ;  a 
ragpicker,  as  something  to  be  gathered  up. 
A  carpenter,  a  botanist,  an  ornithologist,  a 
hunter,  and  a  geologist  walking  through  a 
forest  would  not  see  the  same  things."  The 
familiar  tale  of  the  text-books  illustrates 
this  principle.  It  relates  that  a  boy  climbed 
up  a  tree  in  a  forest  and  watched  the  passers- 
by,  and  listened  to  their  conversation.  The 
first  man  said:  "What  a  fine  stick  of  timber 
that  tree  would  make."  The  boy  answered: 
"Good  morning,  Mr.  Carpenter."  The  sec- 
ond man  said:  "That  is  fine  bark."  The 
boy  answered:  "Good  morning,  Mr.  Tan- 
ner. ' '  The  third  man  said :  " I'll  bet  there 's 
squirrels  in  that  tree."  The  boy  answered: 
"Good  morning,  Mr.  Hunter."  Each  and 
every  one  of  the  men  saw  the  tree  in  the  light 
of  his  personal  Apperception  or  Associated 
Interest, 

Psychologists  designate  by  the  term  "the 
apperceptive  mass"  the  accumulated  pre- 
vious experiences,  prejudices,  temperament, 
inclination  and  desires  which  serve  to  modify 


148  SALESMANSHIP 

the  new  perception  or  idea.  The  "apper- 
ceptive  mass"  is  really  the  "character"  or 
"human  nature"  of  the  individual.  It 
necessarily  differs  in  each  individual,  by 
reason  of  the  great  variety  of  experiences, 
temperament,  education,  etc.,  among  indi- 
viduals. Upon  a  man 's ' '  apperceptive  mass, ' ' 
or  character,  depends  the  nature  and  degree 
of  his  interest,  and  the  objects  which  serve 
to  inspire  and  excite  it. 

It  follows  then  that  in  order  to  arouse,  in- 
duce and  hold  this  Associated  Interest  of  the 
prospect,  the  Salesman  must  present  things, 
ideas  or  suggestions  which  will  appeal 
directly  to  the  imagination  and  feelings  of  the 
man  before  him,  and  which  are  associated 
with  his  desires,  thoughts  and  habits.  If  we 
may  be  pardoned  for  the  circular  definition 
we  would  say  that  one's  Associated  Interest 
is  aroused  only  by  interesting  things;  and 
that  the  interesting  things  are  those  things 
which  concern  his  interests.  A  man's  inter- 
ests always  interest  him— and  his  interests 
are  usually  those  things  which  concern  his 
advantage,  success,  personal  well-being— in 
short  his  pocketbook,  social  position,  hobbies, 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  149 

tastes,  and  satisfaction  of  his  desires.  There- 
fore the  Salesman  who  can  throw  the  mental 
spot-light  on  these  interesting  things,  may 
secure  and  hold  one's  Associated  Interest. 
Hence  the  psychology  of  the  repeated  state- 
ment: "I  can  save  yon  money;"  "I  can  in- 
crease your  sales;"  "I  can  reduce  your 
expenses ; "  "I  have  something  very  choice ; ' ' 
or  "I  can  give  you  a  special  advantage,"  etc. 
It  may  as  well  be  conceded  that  business 
interest  is  selfish  interest,  and  not  altruistic. 
In  order  to  interest  a  man  in  a  business 
proposition  he  must  be  shown  how  it  will 
benefit  him  in  some  way.  He  is  not  running 
a  philanthropic  institution,  or  a  Salesman's 
Belief  Fund,  nor  is  he  in  business  for  his 
health— he  is  -diere  to  make  money,  and  in 
order  to  interest  him  you  must  show  him 
something  to  his  advantage.  And  the  first 
appeal  of  Associated  Interest  is  to  his  feel- 
ing of  Self  Interest.  It  must  be  in  the  nature 
<sf  the  mention  of  "rats!"  to  a  terrier,  or 
"candy!"  to  a  child.  It  must  awaken  pleas- 
ant associations  in  his  mind,  and  pleasing 
images  in  his  memory.  If  this  effect  is  pro- 
duced, he  can  be  speedily  moved  to  the  sue- 


150  SALESMANSHIP 

ceeding  phases  of  Imagination  and  Inclina- 
tion. As  Halleck  says:  "All  feeling  tends  to 
excite  desire.  *  *  *  A  representative 
image  of  the  thing  desired  is  the  necessary 
antecedent  to  desire.  If  the  child  had  never 
seen  or  heard  of  peaches  he  would  have  no 
desire  for  them."  And,  following  this  same 
figure,  we  may  say  that  if  the  child  has  a 
taste  for  peaches  he  will  be  interested  in  the 
idea  of  peaches.  And  so  when  you  say 
"peaches!7'  to  him  you  have  his  Associated 
Interest,  which  will  result  in  a  mental  image 
of  the  fruit  followed  by  a  desire  to  possess 
it,  and  he  will  listen  to  your  talk  regarding 
the  subject  of  "peaches." 

The    following    are    the    general    psycho- 
logical rules  regarding  Associated  Interests : 

I.  Associated   Interest   attaches   only   to 
interesting  things— that  is   to  things   asso- 
ciated with  one's  general  desires  and  ideas. 

II.  Associated    Interest    will    decline    in 
force  and  effect  unless  some  new  attributes  or 
features  are  presented— it  requires  variety 
in  presentation  of  its  object. 

Macbain  says:  "One  of  the  old  time  sales- 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  151 

men  who  used  to  sell  the  trade  in  the  Middle 
West,  beginning  some  thirty  years  ago,  and 
following  that  vocation  for  several  decades, 
used  as  his  motto,  'I  am  here  to  do  you  good.' 
He  did  not  make  his  statement  general, 
either,  in  telling  his  customers  how  he  could 
do  it.  He  got  right  down  to  the  vital  affairs 
which  touched  his  customers.  He  demon- 
strated it  to  them,  and  this  personal 
demonstration  is  the  kind  that  makes  the 
sales. " 

Eemember,  always,  that  the  phase  of  Asso- 
ciated Interest  in  a  purchase  is  not  the  same 
as  the  phase  of  Demonstration  and  Proof. 
It  is  the  "warming  up"  process,  preceding 
the  actual  selling  talk.  It  is  the  stage  of 
"thawing  out"  the  prospect  and  melting  the 
icy  covering  of  prejudice,  caution  and  reluc- 
tance which  encases  him.  Warm  up  your 
prospect  by  general  statements  of  Associated 
Interest,  and  blow  the  coals  by  positive, 
brief,  pointed  confident  statements  of  the 
good  things  you  have  in  store  for  him.  And, 
finally,  remember  that  the  sole  purpose  of 
your  efforts  at  this  state  is  to  arouse 
in  him  the  mental  state  of  INTERESTED 


152  SALESMANSHIP 

EXPECTANT  ATTENTION!  Keep  blow- 
ing away  at  this  spark  until  you  obtain  tlie 
blaze  of  Imagination  and  the  heat  of  Desire. 
V.  Consideration.  This  mental  state  is 
defined  as:  "An  examination,  inquiry,  or  in- 
vestigation into  anything. "  It  is  the  stage 
following  Curiosity  and  Associated  Interest, 
and  tends  toward  an  inquiry  into  the  thing 
which  has  excited  these  feelings.  Considera- 
tion, of  course,  must  be  preceded  and  accom- 
panied by  Interest.  It  calls  for  the  phase  of 
Attention  excited  by  feeling,  but  a  degree  of 
voluntary  attention  is  also  manifested  there- 
with. It  is  the  "I  think  I  will  look  into  this 
matter"  stage  of  the  mental  process  of  pur- 
chase. It  is  usually  evidenced  by  a  dis- 
position to  ask  questions  regarding  the 
proposition,  and  to  "see  what  there  is  to  it, 
anyway."  In-  Salesmanship,  this  stage  of 
Consideration  marks  the  passing  from  the 
stage  of  Approach  on  the  Salesman's  part, 
to  that  of  the  Demonstration.  It  marks  the 
passage  from  Passive  Interest  to  Active  In- 
terest—from the  stage  of  being  "merely  in- 
terested" in  a  thing,  to  that  of  "interested 
investigation."  Here  is  where  the  real  selling 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  153 

work  of  the  salesman  begins.  Here  is  where 
he  begins  to  describe  his  proposition  in  detail, 
laying  stress  upon  its  desirable  points.  In 
the  case  of  an  advertisement,  or  a  window  dis- 
play, the  mental  operation  goes  on  in  the 
buyer's  mind  in  the  same  way,  but  without 
the  assistance  of  the  salesman.  The  "selling 
talk"  of  the  advertisement  must  be  stated  or 
suggested  by  its  text,  If  the  Consideration  is 
favorable  and  reveals  sufficiently  strong  at- 
tractive qualities  in  the  proposition  or 
article,  the  mind  of  the  buyer  passes  on  to  the 
next  stage  of  the  process  which  is  known  as : 
VI.  Imagination.  This  mental  state  is 
defined  as:  "The  exercise  of  that  power  or 
faculty  of  the  mind  by  which  it  conceives  and 
forms  ideal  pictures  of  things  communicated 
to  it  by  the  organs  of  sense. ' J  In  the  mental 
process  of  a  purchase,  the  faculty  of  imagina- 
tion takes  up  the  idea  of  the  object  in  which 
the  Associated  Interest  has  been  aroused, 
and  which  has  been  made  the  subject  of  Con- 
sideration, and  endeavors  to  picture  the 
object  in  use  and  being  employed  in  different 
ways,  or  as  in  possession  of  the  buyer.  One 
must  use  his  imagination  in  order  to  realize 


154  SALESMANSHIP 

what  good  a  thing  will  be  to  him ;  how  he  may 
use  it ;  how  it  will  look ;  how  it  will  sell ;  how 
it  will  serve  its  purpose;  how  it  will  "work 
out"  or  "make  good"  when  purchased.  A 
woman  gazing  at  a  hat  will  use  her  imagina- 
tion to  picture  how  she  will  look  in  it.  The  man 
looking  at  the  book  will  use  his  imagination 
in  picturing  its  uses  and  the  pleasure  to  be 
derived  therefrom.  The  business  man  will 
use  his  imagination  to  picture  the  probable 
sale  of  the  goods,  their  display,  their  adapta- 
bility to  his  trade,  etc.  Another  will  picture 
himself  enjoying  the  gains  from  his  purchase. 
Imagination  plays  an  important  part  in  the 
psychology  of  the  sal©.  It  is  the  direct  in- 
citer  of  desire  and  inclination.  The  success- 
ful salesman  realizes  this,  and  feeds  the 
flame  of  the  imagination  with  the  oil  of  Sug- 
gestion. In  fact,  Suggestion  receives  its 
power  through  the  Imagination.  The  Imag- 
ination is  the  channel  through  which  Sugges- 
tion reaches  the  mind.  Salesmen  and  ad. 
writers  strive  to  arouse  the  imagination  of 
their  prospective  customers  by  clever  word- 
painting.  The  Imagination  is  the  "direct 
wire"  to  Desire.  From  Imagination  it  is  a 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  155 

short  step  to  the  next  mental  stage  which  is 
called  : 

VII.  Inclination.  This  mental  state  is 
defined  as:  "A  leaning  or  bent  of  the  mind 
or  will;  desire;  propensity.  It  is  the  "want 
to"  feeling.  It  is  the  mental  state  of  which 
Desire  is  an  advanced  stage.  Inclination  has 
many  degrees.  From  a  faint  inclination  or 
bent  in  a  certain  direction,  it  rises  in  the 
scale  until  it  becomes  an  imperious  demand, 
brooking  no  obstacle  or  hindrance.  Many 
terms  are  employed  to  designate  the  various 
stages  of  Inclination,  as  for  instance:  De- 
sire, wish,  want,  need,  inclination,  leaning, 
bent,  predilection,  propensity,  penchant, 
liking,  love,  fondness,  relish,  longing,  hanker- 
ing, aspiration,  ambition,  appetite,  hunger, 
passion,  craving,  lust,  etc. 

Desire  is  a  strange  mental  quality,  and  one 
very  difficult  to  define  strictly.  It  is  linked 
with  feeling  on  one  side,  and  with  will  on  the 
other.  Feeling  rises  to  desire,  and  desire 
rises  to  the  phase  of  will  and  endeavors  to 
express  itself  in  action.  Halleck  says  of  De- 
sire: "It  has  for  its  object  something  which 
will  bring  pleasure  or  get  rid  of  pain,  imme- 


156  SALESMANSHIP 

diat e  or  remote,  for  the  individual  or  for  some 
one  in  whom  he  is  interested.  Aversion,  or  a 
striving  to  get  away  from  something,  is 
merely  the  negative  aspect  of  desire."  In- 
clination in  its  various  stages  is  aroused 
through  the  appeals  to  the  feelings  through 
the  imagination.  The  feelings  related  to  the 
several  faculties  are  excited  into  action  by  a 
direct  appeal  to  them  through  the  imagina- 
tion, and  inclination  or  desired  results.  Ap- 
peal to  Acquisitiveness  will  result  in  a  feeling 
which  will  rise  to  inclination  and  desire  for 
gain.  Appeal  to  Approbativeness  will  act  like- 
wise in  its  own  field.  And  so  on  through  the 
list,  each  well-developed  faculty  being  excited 
to  feeling  by  the  appropriate  appeal  through 
the  imagination,  and  thus  giving  rise  to  Incli- 
nation which  in  turn  strives  to  express  itself 
in  action  through  the  will. 

In  short,  every  man  is  a  bundle  of  general 
desires,  the  nature  and  extent  of  which  are  in- 
dicated by  his  several  faculties,  and  which  re- 
sult from  heredity,  environment,  training,  ex- 
perience, etc.  These  desires  may  be  excited 
toward  a  definite  object  by  the  proper  emo- 
tional appeal  through  the  imagination,  and 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  157 

by  suggestion.  Desire  must  be  created  or 
aroused  before  action  can  be  had,  or  the  will 
manifest  in  action.  For,  at  the  last,  we  do 
things  only  because  we  "want  to,"  directly  or 
indirectly.  Therefore,  the  important  aim  of 
the  Salesman  is  to  make  his  prospect  "want 
to. ' '  And  in  order  to  make  him ' '  want  to  "  he 
must  make  him  see  that  his  proposition  is  cal- 
culated to  "bring  pleasure,  or  get  rid  of  pain, 
immediate  or  remote,  for  the  individual  or  for 
someone  else  in  whom  he  is  interested."  In 
business,  the  words  "profit  and  loss"  may  be 
substituted  for  ' '  pleasure  and  pain, ' '  although 
really,  they  are  but  forms  of  the  latter.  But 
even  when  the  prospect  is  brought  to  the 
•stage  of  strong  inclination  or  desire,  he  does 
not  always  move  to  gratify  the  same.  Why  is 
this?  What  other  mental  process  interferes? 
Let  us  see  as  we  pass  on  to  the  next  stage  of 
the  purchase,  known  as : 

VIII.  Deliberation.  This  mental  state  is 
defined  as:  "The  act  of  deliberating  and 
weighing  facts  and  arguments  in  the  mind, 
calmly  and  carefully."  Here  is  manifested 
the  action  of  thought  and  reason— the  mental 
process  of  weighing  and  balancing  facts,  feel- 


158  SALESMANSHIP 

ings,  and  inclinations.  For  it  is  not  only  facts 
and  proofs  which  are  weighed  in  the  mental 
balance,  but  also  feelings,  desires,  and  fears. 
Pure  logical  reasoning  inclines  to  strict  logical 
processes  based  upon  irrefragible  facts,  it 
is  true— but  there  is  but  little  pure  logical 
reasoning.  The  majority  of  people  are  gov- 
erned more  by  their  feelings  and  inclinations 
—their  loves  and  their  fears— than  by  logic. 
It  has  been  said :  ' '  People  seek  not  reasons, 
but  excuses  for  following  their  feelings." 
The  real  deliberation,  in  the  majority  of  cases, 
is  the  weighing  of  probable  advantages  and 
disadvantages— of  various  likes  and  dislikes 
—of  hopes  and  fears. 

It  is  said  that  our  minds  are  controlled  by 
motives— and  the  strongest  motive  wins.  We 
often  find  that  when  we  think  we  desire  a 
thing  ardently,  we  then  find  that  we  also  like 
something  else  better,  or  perhaps  fear  some- 
thing else  more  than  we  desire  the  first  thing. 
In  such  case,  the  strongest  or  most  pressing 
feeling  wins  the  day.  The  faculties  here  exert 
their  different  influences.  Caution  opposes 
Acquisitiveness.  Acquisitiveness  opposes 
Conscientiousness.  Fear  opposes  Firmness. 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  159 

And  so  on.  The  deliberation  is  not  only  the 
weighing  of  facts,  but  also  the  weighing  of 
feelings. 

The  process  of  Deliberation— the  weighing 
of  desires— the  play  and  counterplay  of  mo- 
tives—is well  illustrated  by  a  scene  in  a  classi- 
cal French  comedy.  "Jeppe,"  one  of  the 
characters,  has  been  given  money  by  his  wife 
to  buy  her  a  cake  of  soap.  He  prefers  to  buy 
a  drink  with  the  coin,  for  his  inclinations  tend 
in  that  direction.  But  he  knows  that  his  wife 
will  beat  him  if  he  so  squanders  the  money. 
He  deliberates  over  the  pleasure  to  be  derived 
from  the  drink,  and  the  pain  which  would 
arise  from  the  beating.  "My  stomach  says 
drink— my  back  says  soap, ' '  says  Jeppe.  He 
deliberates  further.  Then:  "My  stomach 
says  Yes !  My  back  says  No !"  cries  the  poor 
wight.  The  conflict  between  back  and  stom- 
ach rages  still  more  fiercely.  Then  comes  the 
deciding  point:  "Is  not  my  stomach  more  to 
me  than  my  back?  Sure,  it  is !  I  say  Yes  V9 
cries  Jeppe.  And  away  to  the  tavern  he 
marches.  It  has  been  remarked  that  if  the 
active  suggestion  of  the  distant  sight  of  his 
wife  armed  with  the  cudgel,  had  been  added 


160  SALESMANSHIP 

to  the  situation,  Jeppe  would  have  bought  the 
soap.  Or,  if  the  tavern  had  not  been  so  handy, 
the  result  might  have  been  different.  Some- 
times a  mental  straw  tips  the  scale.  The 
above  illustration  contains  the  entire  philoso- 
phy of  the  action  of  the  mind  in  the  process 
of  Deliberation.  The  salesman  will  do  well 
to  remember  it. 

Halleck  thus  well  states  the  immediate  and 
remote  factors  in  choice:  "The  immediate 
factors  are  *  *  *  (1)  a  preceding  proc- 
ess of  desire;  (2)  the  presence  in  conscious- 
ness of  more  than  one  represented  object  or 
end,  to  offer  an  alternative  course  of  action ; 
(3)  deliberation  concerning  the  respective 
merits  of  these  objects;  (4)  the  voluntary  fiat 
of  decision,  which  seems  to  embody  most  the 
very  essence  of  will.  The  remote  factors  are 
extremely  difficult  to  select.  The  sum  total 
of  the  man  is  felt  more  in  choice  than  any- 
where else.  *  *  *  Before  a  second  per- 
son could  approximate  the  outcome,  he  would 
have  to  know  certain  remote  factors,  the  prin- 
cipal being:  (1)  heredity;  (2)  environment; 
(3)  education;  (4)  individual  peculiarities. ' ' 
This  eminent  authority  might  well  have 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  161 

added  an  additional  element— a  most  impor- 
tant one— as  follows :  (5)  SUGGESTION. 

The  Salesman  watching  carefully  the  shift- 
ing scale  of  Deliberation,  injects  a  telling 
argument  or  suggestion  into  the  scale,  which 
gives  weight  to  his  side  at  a  critical  stage. 
He  does  this  in  many  ways.  He  may  neutral- 
ize an  objection  by  a  counter-fact.  He  adds 
another  proof  or  fact  here— a  little  more  de- 
sire and  feeling  there,  until  he  brings  down 
the  scale  to  a  decision.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  this  Deliberation  is  not  regarding 
the  desirability  of  the  proposition — the  pros- 
pect has  admitted  his  desire,  either  directly 
or  indirectly,  and  is  now  engaged  in  trying  to 
justify  his  desire  by  reason  and  expediency. 
He  is  seeking  for  reasons  or  "excuses"  to 
back  up  his  desire,  or  perhaps,  is  endeavoring 
to  strike  a  balance  of  his  conflicting  desires 
and  feelings.  His  mental  debate  is  not  over 
the  question  of  desiring  the  goods,  but  over 
the  expediency  and  probable  result  of  buying 
them.  It  is  the  "to  buy  or  not  to  buy"  stage. 
This  is  a  delicate  part  of  the  process  of  the 
purchase,  and  many  prospects  act  like  "see- 
saws" during  the  process.  The  clever  Sales- 


162  SALESMANSHIP 

man  must  be  ready  with  the  right  argument 
at  the  right  place.  To  him  this  is  the  Argu- 
mentive  Stage.  Finally,  if  the  Salesman's 
efforts  are  successful,  the  balance  drops,  and 
the  process  passes  to  the  next  stage,  known 
as— 

IX.  Decision.  This  mental  stage  is  de- 
fined as :  "  The  mental  act  of  deciding,  deter- 
mining, or  settling  any  point,  question,  differ- 
ence, or  contest.  It  is  the  act  of  the  will, 
settling  the  dispute  between  the  warring  fac- 
ulties, feelings,  ideas,  desires  and  fears.  It 
is  will  acting  upon  reason,  or  (alas !  too  often, 
upon  mere  feeling) .  Without  entering  into  a 
metaphysical  discussion,  let  us  remind  you 
that  the  practical  psychology  of  the  day  holds 
that  "the  strongest  motive  at  the  moment 
wins  the  choice."  This  strongest  motive  may 
be  of  reason  or  of  feeling;  conscious  or  un- 
conscious; but  strongest  at  that  moment  it 
must  be,  or  it  would  not  win.  And  this  strong- 
est motive  is  strongest  merely  because  of 
our  character  or  "nature"  as  manifested  at 
that  particular  moment,  in  that  particular 
environment,  under  the  particular  circum- 
stances, and  subject  to  the  particular  sugges- 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  PURCHASE  163 

tions.  The  choice  depends  more  upon  asso- 
ciation than  we  generally  realize,  and  associa- 
tion is  awakened  by  suggestion.  As  Halleck 
says:  "It  is  not  the  business  of  the  psycholo- 
gist to  state  what  power  the  association  of 
ideas  ought  to  have.  It  is  for  him  to  ascer- 
tain what  power  it  does  have."  And  as 
Ziehen  says:  "We  cannot  think  as  we  will, 
but  we  must  think  just  as  those  associations 
which  happen  to  be  present  prescribe. ' '  This 
being  the  case,  the  Salesman  must  realize  that 
the  Decision  is  based  always  upon  (1)  the 
mental  states  of  the  man  at  that  moment ;  plus 
(2)  the  added  motives  supplied  by  the  Sales- 
man. It  is  "up  to"  the  Salesman  to  supply 
those  motives,  whether  they  be  facts,  proofs, 
appeals  to  reason,  or  excitement  of  feeling. 
Hope,  fear,  like,  dislike— these  are  the  potent 
motives  in  most  cases.  In  business,  these 
things  are  known  as  "profit  or  loss."  All  the 
faculties  of  the  mind  supply  motives  which 
aroused  may  be  thrown  into  the  Balance  af- 
fecting decision.  This  is  what  argument, 
demonstration  and  appeal  seek  to  do— supply 
motives. 

(Note:— It  might   naturally  be   supposed 


164  SALESMANSHIP 

that  when  the  final  stage  of  Decision  has  been 
reached,  the  mental  process  of  purchase  is 
at  an  end.  But,  not  so.  Will  has  three 
phases:  Desire,  Decision,  and  Action.  We 
have  passed  through  the  first  two,  but  Action 
still  is  unperformed.  A  familiar  example  is 
that  of  the  man  in  bed  in  the  morning.  He 
ponders  over  the  question  of  rising,  and 
finally  decides  to  get  up.  But  action  does  not 
necessarily  result.  The  trigger  of  Action  has 
not  been  pulled,  and  the  spring  released.  So 
thus  we  have  another  mental  state,  known 
as:—) 

X.  Action.  This  mental  state  is  defined 
as:  "Volition  carried  into  effect."  Mill 
says : ' '  Now  what  is  an  action  ?  Not  one,  but  a 
series  of  two  things :  the  state  of  mind  called 
a  volition,  followed  by  an  effect.  The  volition 
or  intention  to  produce  the  effect  is  one  thing ; 
the  effect  produced  in  consequence  of  the  in- 
tention is  another  thing;  the  two  together 
constitute  the  action."  Halleck  says:  "For 
a  completed  act  of  will,  there  must  be  action 
along  the  line  of  the  decision.  Many  a  de- 
cision has  not  aroused  the  motor  centers  to 
action,  nor  quickened  the  attention,  for  any 


PSYCHOLOGY  or  PURCHASE  165 

length  of  time.  There  are  persons  who  can 
frame  a  doz^n  decisions  in  the  course  of  a 
morning,  and  never  carry  ont  one  of  them. 
Sitting  in  a  comfortable  chair,  it  may  take  one 
but  a  very  short  time  to  form  a  decision  that 
will  require  months  of  hard  work.  *  *  * 
Some  persons  can  never  seem  to  understand 
that  resolving  to  do  a  thing  is  not  the  same  as 
doing  it.  *  *  '  *  There  may  be  desirej  de- 
liberation, and  decision;  but  if  these  do  not 
result  in  action  along  the  indicated  line,  the 
process  of  will  is  practically  incomplete." 
Many  a  person  decides  to  do  a  thing  but  lacks 
the  something  necessary  to  release  the  motive 
impulses.  They  tend  to  procrastinate,  and 
delay  the  final  act.  These  people  are  sources 
of  great  care  and  work  to  the  Salesman.  Some 
men  can  get  their  prospects  to  the  deciding 
point,  but  fail  to  get  them  to  act.  Others 
seem  specially  adapted  to  "closing"  these 
cases.  It  requires  a  peculiar  knack  to  * '  close ' ' 
-the  effort  is  entirely  psychological.  We 
shall  consider  it  in  a  subsequent  chapter 
under  the  head  of  "Closing."  To  be  a  good 
"closer"  is  the  ambition  of  every  Salesman, 
for  it  is  the  best  paid  branch  of  his  profes- 


166  SALESMANSHIP 

sion.  It  depends  largely  upon  the  scientific 
application  of  suggestion.  To  lead  a  prospect 
to  Action,  is  to  pull  the  trigger  of  his  will. 
To  this  end  all  the  previous  work  has  been 
directed.  Its  psychology  is  subtle.  What 
makes  you  finally  get  out  of  bed  in  the  morn- 
ing, after  having  "decided  to"  several  times 
without  resulting  action?  To  understand 
this,  is  to  understand  the  process  of  the  final 
Action  in  the  mind  of  the  buyer.  Is  it  not 
worth  learning? 

In  the  succeeding  chapters  we  shall  con- 
sider the  several  stages  of  the  "Salesman's 
Progress"  toward  a  sale— the  Approach,  the 
Demonstration,  and  the  Closing.  In  these 
stages  of  the  Salesman,  we  shall  see  the  ac- 
tion and  reaction  upon  the  Mind  of  the  Buyer, 
along  the  lines  of  the  Psychology  of  the  Pur- 
chase. In  the  Sale-Purchase  the  minds  of 
the  Salesman  and  the  Buyer  meet.  The  re- 
sult is  the  Signed  Order.  The  psychological 
process  of  the  Sale  is  akin  to  the  progress  of 
a  game  of  chess  or  checkers.  And  neither  is 
the  result  of  chance—well  defined  principles 
underlie  each,  and  established  methods  are 
laid  down  for  the  student. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  APPROACH 

Old  salesmen  hold  that  in  the  psychology 
of  the  sale  there  is  no  more  important  stage 
or  phase  than  the  introductory  stage— the 
stage  of  the  Approach.  Pierce  says:  " Ex- 
perienced salesmen  will  tell  you  that  the  first 
five  minutes  in  front  of  a  prospect  is  worth 
more  than  all  the  remainder  in  the  matter  of 
getting  the  check.  Why?  Because  it  is  then 
that  the  prospect  is  forming  his  impressions 
of  you.  Usually  he  is  obliged  to  form  this 
quick  size-up  of  the  man  he  meets,  in  order  to 
conserve  his.  time  for  important  duties. 
Therefore  it  is  your  duty  to  have  this  first  im- 
pression the  best  within  your  power.  And  the 
best  way  to  develop  this  is  to  be  genuine." 
But  it  must  never  be  lost  sight  of  that  the 
First  Impression  is  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  an  entrance  for  the  fine  edge  of 
your  wedge  of  salesmanship,  which  you  must 

167 


168  SALESMANSHIP 

then  proceed  to  drive  home  to  its  logical  con- 
clusion,—the  Order.  An  impression  for  im- 
pression's sake  is  a  fallacy.  Eemember  the 
old  story  of  the  Salesman  who  wrote  in  that 
he  was  not  making  sales,  but  that  he  was 
"making  a  good  impression  on  my  cus- 
tomers. ' '  The  firm  wired  back  to  him :  "Go 
out  and  make  some  more  impressions— on  a 
snow  bank."  Do  not  lose  sight  of  the  real 
object  of  your  work,  in  obtaining  the  prelimi- 
nary results. 

The  National  Cash  Eegister  Company  in- 
structs its  salesmen  regarding  the  First  Im- 
pression, as  follows:  "Eemember,  the  first 
five  minutes  of  speaking  to  a  man  is  likely  to 
make  or  break  you  as  far  as  that  sale  is  con- 
cerned. If  you  are  in  any  way  antagonistic  or 
offensive  to  him,  you  have  hurt  your  chances 
badly  from  the  start.  If  you  have  failed  to 
definitely  please  or  attract  him,  you  have  not 
done  enough.  It  isn't  sufficient  to  be  merely 
a  negative  quantity.  You  should  make  a  posi- 
tive favorable  impression,  and  not  by  cajolery 
nor  attempted  wit  nor  cleverness.  The  only 
right  way  to  gain  a  man's  liking  is  to  deserve 
it.  The  majority  of  men  do  not  often  know 


THE  APPROACH  169 

just  what  the  characteristics  of  a  man  are 
which  makes  him  pleasing  or  displeasing  to 
them;  but  they  feel  pleased  or  displeased, 
attracted  or  repulsed,  or  indifferent,  and  the 
feeling  is  definite  and  pronounced,  even 
though  they  cannot  understand  just  what 
makes  it.  A  storekeeper  in  the  smallest  way 
of  business  in  a  little  country  village  is  just 
as  susceptible  of  being  pleased  or  offended  as 
any  merchant  prince.  It  should  never  be  for- 
gotten that  whatever  his  position  may  be,  'a 
man's  a  man  for  a'  that.'  " 

It  is  not  so  much  what  a  man  says  when  he 
approaches  the  prospect,  as  the  way  he  acts. 
It  is  his  manner,  rather  than  his  speech.  And 
back  of  his  manner  is  his  Mental  Attitude. 
Without  going  into  subtle  psychological  the- 
orizing, we  may  say  that  it  may  be  accepted 
as  a  working  hypotheses  that  a  man  radiates 
his  Mental  State,  and  that  those  he  ap^- 
proaches  feel  these  radiations.  It  may  be  the 
suggestion  of  manner,  or  it  may  be  something 
more  subtle— no  use  discussing  theories  here, 
we  haven't  the  time— the  fact  is  that  it  acts 
as  radiations  would  act.  This  being  recog- 
nized it  will  be  seen  that  the  man's  Mental 


170  SALESMANSHIP 

Attitude  in  the  Approach  must  be  right.  In 
the  previous  chapters  we  have  had  much  to 
say  to  you  regarding  the  factors  which  go  to 
create  the  Mental  Attitude.  Now  is  the  time 
to  manifest  what  you  have  learned  and  prac- 
tice— for  you  are  making  the  Approach. 

Carry  in  mind  Holman's  catechism,  of 
which  we  have  told  you.  Maintain  your  Self- 
Kespect,  and  remember  that  you  are  a  MAN. 
Pierce  says  of  this :  ' '  One  reason  for  this  is 
that  self-respect  is  necessary  in  your  work. 
And  self-respect  cannot  obtain  where  there 
is  lack  of  confidence  either  in  your  own  ability 
or  in  your  line  of  goods.  Assuming  that  you 
take  only  such  a  line  as  you  yourself  can  en- 
thusiastically endorse,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  your  goods  place  you  absolutely  on  a  par 
with  the  merchant.  Hence,  you  talk  to  him 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  as  it  were.  You  are  not 
as  a  slave  to  a  master !  as  a  hireling  to  a  lord ; 
as  a  worm  to  a  mountain ;  although  this  is  the 
usual  attitude  untrained  salesmen  consciously 
or  unconsciously  assume.  They  are  timid. 
They  feel  they  might  know  their  goods  better. 
They  feel,  perhaps,  that  the  prospect  knows 
their  goods  or  their  competitors'  goods  bet- 


THE  APPKOACH  171 

ter  than  they  do  themselves.  Fear  is  written 
all  over  their  faces  as  the  approach  is  made. 
Nine-tenths  of  the  fear  is  dne  to  ignorance  of 
the  goods.  The  other  tenth  is  lack  of  experi- 


ence." 


Eegarding  this  matter  of  Fear,  we  would 
say  that  the  experience  of  the  majority  of 
men  who  have  lived  active  and  strenuous 
lives,  meeting  with  all  sorts  of  people  under 
all  sorts  of  circumstances,  is  that  the  cause 
of  Fear  of  people  and  things  exists  chiefly  in 
the  imagination.  It  is  the  fear  of  anticipation 
rather  than  the  fear  of  actual  conditons.  It 
is  like  the  fear  felt  upon  approaching  a  den- 
tist's office— worse  than  the  actual  experi- 
ence of  the  chair.  Suspense  and  fearful  ex- 
pectation are  two  of  the  great  sources  of 
human  weakness.  Experience  shows  us  that 
the  majority  of  things  we  fear  never  happen ; 
that  those  which  do  happen  are  never  so  bad 
as  we  had  feared.  Moreover,  experience 
teaches  us  that  when  a  real  difficulty  confronts 
us,  we  usually  are  given  the  strength  and 
courage  to  meet  and  bear  it,  or  to  overcome  it 
—while  in  our  moments  of  fearful  anticipa- 
tion these  helpful  factors  are  not  apparent. 


172  SALESMANSHIP 

Sufficient  for  the  moment  are  the  evils  thereof 
—it  is  not  the  troubles  of  the  moment  which 
bear  us  down,  but  the  burdens  of  future  mo- 
ments which  we  have  added  to  our  load.  The 
rule  is  to  meet  each  question  or  obstacle  as  it 
arises,  and  not  to  add  fear  of  trouble  beyond 
to  the  work  of  the  moment.  Do  not  cross  your 
bridge  till  you  come  to  it.  The  majority  of 
feared  things  melt  away  when  you  come  up  to 
them— they  partake  of  the  nature  of  the  mir- 
age. It  is  the  ghosts  of  things  which  never 
materialize  which  cause  us  the  greatest  fear. 
Banish  Fearthought  from  your  Mental  Atti- 
tude when  you  make  the  Approach. 

But,  a  word  of  warning  here :  Do  not  be- 
come "  fresh "  or  impudent  becpuse  you  feel 
Self  Eeliant  and  Fearless.  "While  realizing 
that  you  are  a  Man,  do  not  forget  that  the 
prospect  is  also  one.  Impudence  is  a  mark 
of  weakness  rather  than  of  strength— strong 
men  are  above  this  petty  thing.  Be  polite  and 
courteous.  The  true  gentleman  is  both  self- 
respecting  and  polite.  And,  after  all  is  said 
and  done,  the  best  Approach  that  a  Salesman 
can  make  is  that  of  a  GENTLEMAN.  This 
will  win  in  the  long  run,  and  the  consciousness 


THE  APPKOACH  173 

of  having  so  acted  will  tend  to  strengthen  the 
Salesman  and  preserve  his  self-respect  Ke- 
member  not  only  to  manifest  the  self-respect 
of  a  gentleman— but  also  to  observe  the  obli- 
gations of  politeness  and  courtesy  which  are 
incumbent  upon  a  gentleman.  Noblesse  oblige 
—"nobility  imposes  obligations." 

If  you  want  a  maxim  of  action  and  manner, 
take  this  one :  "Act  as  a  gentleman  should." 
If  you  want  a  touchstone  upon  which  to  test 
manner  and  action,  take  this:  "Is  this  the 
act  of  a  gentleman?"  If  you  will  follow  this 
advice  you  will  acquire  a  manner  which  will 
be  far  superior  to  one  based  upon  artificial 
rules  or  principles — a  natural  manner — be- 
cause the  manner  of  a  gentleman  is  the  ex- 
pression of  true  and  pure  courtesy,  and  will 
be  respected  as  such  by  all,  whether  they, 
themselves,  observe  it  or  not.  We  have  seen 
many  instances  in  which  the  maintenance  of 
the  true  gentlemanly  spirit  under  strong 
provocation  has  completely  disarmed  boorish- 
ness,  and  won  friendship  and  regard  from 
those  apparently  opposing  it  at  the  time. 

The  first  psychological  element  of  a  Sale  is 
that  of  the  First  Impression  upon  the  buyer. 


174  SALESMANSHIP 

And  the  impression  must  be  of  a  favorable 
kind.  There  must  be  nothing  to  create  a  bad 
impression  for  this  will  distract  the  attention 
from  the  purpose  of  the  Approach  to  the  par- 
ticular object  awakening  the  unpleasant  im- 
pression. The  first  point  preliminary  to  gain- 
ing attention,  is  to  know  the  name  of  the  man 
you  are  approaching;  and  if  possible  just 
where  he  is.  Nothing  is  more  demoralizing 
to  the  Salesman,  and  more  likely  to  break  up 
the  psychological  influence  of  the  Approach, 
than  a  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  name  and 
identity  of  the  man  you  wish  to  see.  The 
miscarriage  of  an  Approach  occasioned  by 
mistaking  the  person  should  be  avoided.  If 
you  do  not  know  your  man,  or  where  he  is  in 
the  office,  it  will  be  well  to  inquire  of  the  others 
present,  politely  of  course,  where  "Mr.  X's" 
desk  is.  If  you  happen  to  ask  this  question 
of  "Mr.  X'"  himself,  you  can  easily  adjust 
yourself  to  the  occasion.  The  fiasco  of  ap- 
proaching "Mr.  A"  and  greeting  him  as 
"Mr.  X"  is  apt  to  be  confusing  and  weaken- 
ing, and  tends  to  bring  the  element  of  ridi- 
cule into  the  interview,  unless  the  Salesman 
has  the  tact  and  wit  to  pass  it  off.  If  possible, 


THE  APPROACH  175 

avoid  asking  for  ' '  the  proprietor, ' '  or  inquir- 
ing of  a  man,  "are  you  the  proprietor?"  If 
you  do  not  know  the  proprietor's  name,  ask 
it  of  some  one. 

The  National  Cash  Register  people  say  to 
their  salesmen:  ^TTFis  manifestly  improper 
to  describe  a  definite  form  of  words  and  re- 
quire salesmen  to  use  them  in  all  cases  when 
they  approach  business  men  at  the  first  inter- 
view. What  would  be  proper  to  say  to  one 
man  under  given  circumstances  might  be  un- 
suitable to  say  to  another  under  different  cir- 
cumstances. Much  must  be  left  to  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  salesman.  At  the  same  time 
there  are  certain  leading  statements  to  be 
made,  and  certain  ways  of  making  them 
which  -experience  has  shown  to  be  well 
adapted  to  the  end  in  view.  *  *  *  It  is 
not  necessary  that  this  introductory  talk 
should  be  long.  Often  a  short  talk  is  more 
convincing.  We  do  not  advise  salesmen  to 
introduce  themselves  by  sending  in  a  card, 
but  prefer  that  they  should  depend  wholly  on 
what  they  are  able  to  say  to  secure  a  hearing. 
We  strongly  disapprove  of  obscure  introduc- 
tions and  all  tricks,  and  believe  that  a  man 


176  SALESMANSHIP 

who  has  something  worth  saying,  and  is  not 
ashamed  of  his  business,  can  make  known  his 
errand  in  a  bold,  straightforward  manner.  A 
salesman  should  adapt  himself  to  his  man, 
but  at  the  same  time  he  should  have  a  fixed 
idea  of  what  he  has  to  say.  He  should  be  dig- 
nified and  earnest.  *  *  *  As  soon  as  you 
do  succeed  in  reaching  the  proprietor,  and 
have  said  to  him,  'GjQXKLaiQrningl  Jsjthis i  Mr. 
Johnson  V9  then  say  directly  and  plainly  ,,JJ[ 
represent  the  National  Cash  Eegister  Com- 
pany/ This  immediately  puts  you  on  a 
square  footing,  and  if  he  has  anything  to  say 
against  your  business  it  will  draw  his  fire  im- 
mediately. If  he  has  nothing  to  say,  proceed 
to  business  at  once,  but  don't  under  any  cir- 
cumstances say,  'I  called  to~seH"~ you  a  reg- 
ister,' or  'I  called  to  tell  you  about  our  regis- 
ters, '  but  put  it  rather  in  this  way,  'J-J^Qnt  to 
interest  you  in  our  methods  for  taking  care 
of  transactions  with  customers  in  your  store.' 
The  difference  between  the  two  ways  of  say- 
ing it  is  that  oij^Jbe^r^mth jygMrjind  QJLth£_ 
business— the  thing  that  interests  you; 
while  the  other  begins  at  his  end  of  it— the 
thing  presumably  interesting  to  him." 


THE  APPKOACH  177 

"We  specially  direct  the  student's  attention 
to  the  above  paragraph.  It  contains  in  a  nut- 
shell the  whole  philosophy  of  the  introductory 
talk  of  the  Approach.  It  is  the  essence  of  the 
experience  and  knowledge  of  the  thousands 
of  salesmen  of  the  great  selling  organization 
of  the  large  concern  named,  and  is  right  to  the 
point,  and  what  is  still  more  important,  it  is 
scientifically  correct,  and  based  upon  true 
psychological  principles. 

The  Salesman  in  making  the  Approach 
should  not  act  as  if  he  were  in  a  hurry,  nor 
should  he  dawdle.  He  should  go  about  it  in  a 
business-like  manner  showing  his  realization 
of  the  value  of  time,  and  yet  acting  as  if  he 
had  the  time  necessary  for  the  transaction  of 
that  particular  piece  of  business,  just  as  he 
would  if  the  buyer  had  called  on  him  instead 
of  vice  versa.  Don't  swagger  or  strut,  or  act 
as  if  you  were  the  proprietor.  Act  the  part  of 
the  real  business  man  who  is  at  ease  and  yet  is 
attending  to  business.  DojiolJ^ 
the  customer  in  the  Approach— you  are  call- 
ing on  him  and  must  appear  to  defer  to  him 
in  the  matter  of  opening  the  conversation,  in 
a  respectful  and  yet  self-respecting  manmer. 


178  SALESMANSHIP 

The  better  poised  and  balanced  you  are  in 
manner,  the  more  he  will  respect  you,  no  mat- 
ter how  he  may  act.  It  is  much  easier  for  a 
buyer  to  turn  down  an  ill-bred  boorish  caller 
than  one  who  shows  the  signs  of  being  a 
gentleman.  In  fact  the  boorish  caller  invites 
the  turn-down—he  suggests  it  by  his  manner ; 
while  the  gentleman  suggests  respectful  treat- 
ment. The  line  of  least  resistance  in  sugges- 
tion is  the  one  most  natural  for  people  to  fol- 
low. 

Some  salesmen  try  to  grasp  the  hand  of  the 
customer  at  the  beginning.  This  is  all  right 
if  the  customer  be  a  jovial  "hale  fellow,  well 
met"  kind  of  a  man,  but  if  he  be  reserved  and 
dignified  he  will  be  apt  to  resent  your  push- 
ing this  attention  upon  him.  Jhe  tJiiii&io  do 
is  to  make  him  feel  like  shaking  hands — this 
is  an  important  point,  which  counts  if  gained. 
You  can  generally  tell  from  his  manner  and 
expression  whether  to  extend  your  hand.  You 
must  trust  to  your  intuitions  in  i '  sizing  up ' ' 
your  man.  What  has  been  said  regarding  the 
mind  of  the  buyer  will  help  you,  and  what  data 
you  have  collected  will  also  be  of  use,  but  at 
the  last  you  must  depend  upon  your  own  in- 


THE  APPKOACH  179 

tuition  to  a  considerable  extent.  Experience 
develops  this  intuitive  faculty.  Some  sales- 
men thrust  their  cards  into  the  hands  of  a 
prospect  when  they  introduce  themselves. 
This  is  poor  psychology,  for  it  serves  to  at- 
tract the  prospect's  attention  to  the  card  and 
away  from  the  salesman.  Introduce  yourself 
verbally,  simply  and  distinctly,  and  then  get 
down  to  business. 

If  you  see  a  man  is  busy  with  someone 
else,  or  with  something  in  particular— wait 
for  him.  Don't  break  into  his  occupation, 
until  he  looks  up  and  gives  you  the  ptsycho- 
logical  signal  to  proceed.  Never  interrupt  an- 
other salesman  who  may  be  talking  to  the 
prospect.  This  is  not  only  a  point  in  fair  play 
and  business  courtesy,  but  is  very  good  busi- 
ness policy  in  addition.  When  you  begin  your 
introductory  talk,  get  right  to  the  point,  and 
don't  beat  around  the  bush  as  so  many  do. 
Get  down  to  business— get  over  the  agony  of 
•suspense— take  the  plunge.  Bemember  al- 
ways,  that  to  the  prospect  your  little  story  is 
not  as  stale  or  stereotyped  as  it  may  be  to  you 
—so  put  earnestness  into  it,  and  tell  it  just  as 
if  you  were  relating  it  for  the  first  time  to 


180  SALESMANSHIP 

someone  who  had  requested  it  from  you. 
Maintain  your  interest,  if  you  woulfl  arouse 
that  of  the  prospect. 

Never  commit  the  folly  of  asking  a  pros- 
pect: "Are  you  busy?"  or,  "I  fear  you  are 
busy,  sir?"  This  is  a  very  bad  suggestion 
for  the  prospect,  and  makes  it  easy  for  him  to 
say  "Yes!"  You  mould  bullets  for  him  to 
fire  at  you.  If  he  really  is  too  busy  to  give 
you  the  proper  attention,  you  may  do  well  to 
tell  him  so,  and  then  get  out— but  never  sug- 
gest anything  of  this  kind  to  him  if  you  expect 
to  proceed.  It  is  akin  to  the  doleful  "You 
don't  want  to  buy  any  matches,  sir,  do  you?" 
of  the  forlorn  vendors  of  small  articles  who 
float  into  offices  at  times.  Never  make  it  easy 
for  a  prospect  to  turn  you  down — or  out.  If 
he  is  going  to  do  these  things,  make  him  work 
hard  to  do  it.  This  might  seem  like  needless 
advice,  but  many  young  salesmen  commit  this 
particular  fault.  Avoid  the  apologetic  atti- 
tude and  manner— you  have  nothing  to  apolo- 
gize for.  You  are  using  up  your  time  as  much 
as  the  prospect's  time— let  it  go  at  that.  Never 
apologize  for  anything  but  a  fault  or  mistake. 
Your  call  is  not  a  fault  or  a  mistake— unless 


THE  APPBOACB:  181 

you  make  it  so  by  assuming  it  to  be  such. 
Some  men  would  like  to  apologize  for  being 
alive,  but  they  never  make  salesmen.  B§ 
careful  what  adverse  suggestions  you  may 
put  into  the  prospect's  mind  by  this,  apologiz- 
ing and  "explaining"  business.  What's  the 
use  of  this  nonsense  anyway—it  never  sold 
any  goods,  and  never  will.  It  is  merely  a  sign 
of  weakness  and  lack  of  nerve.  Better  stop  it. 
The  trouble  with  these  apologetic  *  and 
explanatory  fellows  is  that  they  do*  not 
thoroughly  believe  in  the  merit  of  their  propo- 
sitions. If  they  really  believed  as  they  should 
—if  they  had  "sold  themselves"— they  would 
realize  that  the  prospect  needs  their  goods, 
and,  that  although  he  might  not  know  it  now, 
he  is  being  done  a  favor  by  having  his  atten- 
tion called  to  them.  A  Salesman  has  no  need 
to  apologize  to  a  customer,  unless  he  has  need 
to  apologize  to  himself —and  if  he  is  not  right 
on  the  latter  score  he  had  better  change  his 
line  and  get  something  to  sell  that  he  is  not 
ashamed  of,  or  get  out  of  the  business  alto- 
gether. No  man  ever  feels  ashamed  of  any- 
thing in  which  he  thoroughly  believes  and  ap- 
preciates. 


182  SALESMANSHIP 

The  following  advice  from  the  National 
Cash  Eegister  people,  is  like  everything  else 
they  say/ very  good :  *  *  Do  not  attempt  to  talk 
to  a  man  who  is  not  listening,  who  is  writing 
a  letter  or  occupying  himself  in  any  other 
way  while  you  are  talking.  That's  useless, 
and  is  a  loss  of  self-respect  and  of  his  respect. 
If  he  cannot  give  you  his  attention,  say  to 
him : '  I  see  that  you  are  busy.  If  you  can  give 
me  your  attention  for  a  few  minutes  I  shall 
be  pleased;  but  I  don't  want  to  interrupt  you, 
if  you  cannot  spare  the  time,  and  I  will  call 
again.'  Try  to  understand  and  feel  thor- 
oughly the  distinction  between  confidence  and 
familiarity.  Never  fail  in  respect  either  to 
yourself  or  to  the  man  with  whom  you  are 
talking.  Never  be  familiar  with  him.  Never 
put  your  hand  on  his  shoulder  or  on  his  arm, 
nor  take  hold  of  his  coat.  Such  things  are  re- 
pugnant to  a  gentleman— and  you  should  as- 
sume that  he  is  one.  Never  pound  the  desk 
or  shake  your  finger  at  a  prospect.  Don't 
shout  at  him  as  if  sound  would  take  the 
place  of  sense.  Don't  advance  at  him  and 
talk  so  excitedly  under  his  nose  that  he 
will  back  away  from  you  for  fear  of  being 


THE  APPROACH  183 

run  over,  as  if  you  were  a  trolley-car.  I 
have  seen  a  sales  agent  back  a  prospect  half 
way  across  a  room  in  this  way.  Don't  compel 
a  man  to  listen  to  you  by  loud  or  fast  talking. 
Don't  make  him  feel  that  he  can't  get  a  word 
in  edgewise  and  has  to  listen  until  you  are  out 
of  breath.  This  is  not  the  sort  of  compulsion 
to  make  customers.  But  make  him  believe  that 
you  have  something  to  say  and  will  say  it 
quickly.  Put  yourself  in  hig  place  from  the 
very  start.  Make_  him  feel,  not  that  you  are 
trying  to  force  your  business  upon  him,  but 
that  you  want  to  discuss  how  Ms  business  may 
be  benefited  by  you." 

One  of  the  best  salesmen  this  particular 
company  ever  had  has  passed  down  to  the  sell- 
ing corps  of  that  concern  the  following  axiom  : 
lo  but  one  thing,  in  approaching  a 


prospect,  say,  'It  will  save  you  money  ^  seven 
times,  and  you  have  made  a  good  Approach.  '  ' 
And  so  say  we.  Concrete  facts,  stated  in  terse 
terms,  are  the  essence  of  the  opening  talk  and 
the  life  of  the  Approach. 

What  we  have  said  so  far  has  reference  to 
the  stage  of  First  Impression,  which  followed 
the  preliminary  stage  of  Involuntary  Atten- 


184  SALESMANSHIP 

lion  which  was  caused  by  your  presence.  The 
purpose  of  the  favorable  First  Impression  is 
to  make  the  way  easy  for  the  real  process  of 
selling  which  is  to  follow.  The  principle  of 
First  Impression  rests  upon  the  associated 
experience  of  the  buyer,  and  its  effect  arises 
from  suggestion.  The  hasty,  general  idea  or 
impression  of  the  Salesman's  personality, 
which  we  call  the  First  Impression,  is  almost 
unconscious  on  the  part  of  the  prospect,  and  is 
due  largely  to  the  suggestion  of  association. 
That  is,  the  prospect  has  met  other  people 
manifesting  certain  characteristics,  and  has 
fallen  into  the  habit  of  hasty  generalization, 
or  classification  of  people  in  accordance  with 
certain  traits  of  appearance,  manner,  etc. 
This  is  the  operation  of  the  psychological 
principle  of  the  Association  of  Ideas,  and  may 
be  influenced  by  what  is  known  as  the  Sug- 
gestion of  Association.  The  following  quota- 
tion from  the  volume  of  this  series  entitled 
"Suggestion  and  Auto-Suggestion,"  will 
make  clearer  this  principle : 

"This  form  of  Suggestion  is  one  of  the 
most  common  phases.  It  is  found  on  all  sides, 
and  at  all  times.  The  mental  law  of  associa- 


THE  APPROACH  185 

tion  makes  it  very  easy  for  us  to  associate  cer- 
tain things  with  certain  other  things,  and  we 
will  find  that  when  one  of  the  things  is  re- 
called it  will  bring  with  it  its  associated  im- 
pression. *  *  We  are  apt  to  associate 
a  well-dressed  man,  of  commanding  carriage, 
travelling  in  an  expensive  automobile,  with 
the  idea  of  wealth  and  influence.  And,  ac- 
cordingly, when  some  adventurer  of  the  'J. 
Eufus  Wallingford*  type  travels  our  way, 
clad  in  sumptuous  apparel,  with  the  air  of  an 
Astorbilt,  and  a  $10,000  (hired)  automobile, 
we  hasten  to  place  our  money  and  valuables 
in  his  keeping,  and  esteem  ourselves  honored 
by  having  been  accorded  the  privilege." 

ThaJ^gg^^  plays  its 

part  in  the  First  Impression,  and  in  all  the 
stages  of  sale  in  fact.  This  form  of  sugges- 
tion is  described  in  the  book  just  mentioned, 
as  follows:  "Let  some  person  posing  as  an 
authority,  or  occupying  a  position  of  com- 
mand, calmly  state  a  fallacy  with  an  air  of 
wisdom  and  conviction,  without  any  *ifs'  or 
'buts,'  and  many  otherwise  careful  people  will 
accept  the  suggestion  without  question ;  and, 
unless  they  are  afterward  forced  to  analyze 


186  SALESMANSHIP 

it  by  the  light  of  reason  they  will  let  this  seed 
find  lodgement  in  their  minds,  to  blossom  and 
bear  fruit  thereafter.  The  explanation  is 
that  in  such  cases  the  person  suspends  the 
critical  attention  which  is  usually  interposed 
by  the  attentive  will,  and  allows  the  idea  to 
enter  his  mental  castle  unchallenged,  and  to 
influence  other  ideas  in  the  future.  It  is  like 
a  man  assuming  a  lordly  air  and  marching 
past  the  watchman  at  the  gate  of  the  mental 
fortress,  where  the  ordinary  visitor  is  chal- 
lenged and  severely  scrutinized;  his  creden- 
tials examined;  and  the  mark  of  approval 
placed  upon  him  before  he  may  enter.  *  *  * 
The  acceptance  of  such  suggestions  is  akin  to 
a  person  bolting  a  particle  of  food,  instead  of 
masticating  it.  As  a  rule  we  bolt  many  a  bit 
of  mental  provender,  owing  to  its  stamp  of 
real  or  pretended  authority.  And  many  per- 
sons understanding  this  phase  of  suggestion 
take  advantage  of  it,  and  *  use  it  in  their  busi- 
ness 9  accordingly.  The  confidence-man,  as 
well  as  the  shrewd  politician  and  the  seller  of 
neatly  printed  gold-mines,  imposes  himself 
upon  the  public  by  means  of  an  air  of  author- 
ity, or  by  what  is  known  in  the  parlance  of  the 


THE  APPROACH  187 

busy  streets  as  ' putting  up  a  good  front' 
Some  men  are  all  ' front,'  and  have  nothing 
behind  their  authoritative  air—but  that 
authoritative  air  provides  them  with  a  liv- 
ing." 

The  suggestion  of  associated  manner,  ap- 
pearance and  air— the  "good  front,"  in  fact 
—is  the  principal  elemenTlrrtBe  favorable 
First  Impression.  The  balance  is  a  mixture 
of  tact,  diplomacy,  common  sense,  and  intu- 
ition. But  remember  this  always:  the  'best 
"front"  is  the  real  one— the  one  which  is  the 
reflection  of  the  right  Mental  Attitude  and 
Character— the  "front"  of  the  Gentleman. 
If  you  lack  this,  the  nearer  you  can  act  it  out, 
the  better  for  yourself.  But  no  imitation  is 
as  good  as  the  genuine  article.  The  true 
Gentleman  is  the  scientific  mixture  of  strength 
and  courtesy— the  manifestation  of  "the  iron 
hand  in" the  velvet  glove."  So  much  for  the 
First  Impression. 

The  mental  stages  of  Curiosity  and  Associ- 
ated Interest  on  the  part  of  the  buyer  are  also 
to  be  induced  by  the  Salesman  in  the  Ap- 
proach. We  have  described  these  phases  in 
the  chapter  entitled  "The  Psychology  of  the 


188  SALESMANSHIP 

Purchase,"  this  particular  part  of  which! 
should  fie  re-read  at  this  point.  'A  few  addi- 
tional words  on  these  points,  however,  will 
not  be  out  of  place  here. 

Eegarding  the  phase  of  Curiosity,  we 
would  say  that  it  will  be  well  if  you  can  man- 
age the  opening  talk  to  the  prospect  so  as  to 
"keep  him  guessing  a  little,"  while  still  hold- 
ing his  Associated  Interest.  Curiosity  whets 
a  man's  interest  just  as  Worcestershire  sauce 
whets  his  appetite.  The  key  to  the  arousing 
of  Curiosity  is  the  idea  of  "something  new;" 
a  new  idea ;  a  new  pattern,  a  new  device,  etc. 
The  mind  of  the  average  man  likes  "some- 
thing new ' ' — even  the  old  fogy  likes  something 
new  in  his  old  favorites,  new  bottles  for  his 
good  old  wine.  The  idea  of  newness  and 
novelty  tends  to  arouse. a  man's  inquisitive- 
ness  and  imagination.  And  if  you  can  start 
these  faculties  working  you  have  done  well, 
for  Associated  Interest  is  closely  allied  there- 
to. When  you  get  a  prospect  to  the  stage  of 
asking  questions,  either  verbally  or  mentally, 
you  have  the  game  well  started. 

Never  make  the  mistake  of  asking  the  man 
if  he  "wants  to  buy  so-and-so. ' '  Of  course  he 


THE  APPROACH  189 

doesn't  at  that  stage,  particularly  if  you  ask 
him  in  that  way.  It  is  too  easy  for  him  to  say 
No !  It  is  almost  as  bad  as  that  stock  illustra- 
tion of  adverse  suggestion :  ' i  You  don 't  want 
to  buy  any  so-and-so,  do  you  mister  V  which 
brings  a  ready  "No!"  from  the  average  per- 
son. Nor  do  you  want  to  say :  "I  have  called 
to  see  if  I  cannot  sell  you  so-and-so,  to-day, 
Mr.  X."  Or,  "Can  I  sell  you  some  so-and-so, 
this  morning,  Mr.  Z  ? "  This  form  of  arousing 
interest  is  based  on  erroneous  psychological 
principles.  Of  course,  the  prospect  doesn't 
want  to  buy  or  be  sold  at  this  stage  of  the  game 
—the  sale  is  the  finishing  stage.  This  plan  is 
like  cutting  a  log  of  wood  with  the  butt-end 
of  the  axe— you  are  presenting  the  wrong  end 
of  the  proposition.  You  can  never  arouse 
Curiosity  or  Associated  Interest  in  this  way. 
Forget  the  words ' '  You  buy ' '  and  '  '  I  sell ' '  for 
the  moment— in  fact  the  less  you  use  them  at 
any  stage  the  better  it  will  be,  for  they  are  too 
unpleasantly  suggestive  of  the  opening  of 
pocket-books  to  be  agreeable  to  the  prospect. 
There  are  excellent  substitutes  for  these  terms 
—terms  which  suggest  profit,  advantage,  sav- 
ing and  pleasure  to  the  mind  of  the  buyer, 


190  SALESMANSHIP 

rather  than  ideas  of  expenditure  and  i '  giving 
up."  Try  to  suggest  the  incoming  stream  of 
money  to  your  buyer— not  the  outgoing  one. 
The  reason  is  obvious,  if  you  understand  the 
laws  of  suggestion  and  psychology. 

In  short,  let  your  appeal  at  this  stage  be 
entirely  to  the  Self  Interest,  Pleasure,  and 
Curiosity  of  the  prospect.  Try  to  get  him 
warmed  up,  and  his  imagination  working.  If 
you  can  do  this  he  will  forget  his  other  ob- 
jects of  attention,  and  will  lay  aside  his  armor 
of  suggestive  defence  and  his  shield  of  in- 
stinctive resistance  to  one  whom  he  thinks 
" wants  to  sell  something"  and  open  his 
pocket-book.  This  is  the  stage  in  which  you 
must  get  in  the  sharp  end  of  your  psycho- 
logical wedge.  Here  is  where  you  need  the 
keen  edge  of  your  axe— the  butt-end  may  be 
reserved  for  the  Decision  and  Closing. 

As  far  as  possible,  do  not  ask  questions  to 
which  the  prospect  can  answer  "No!"  at  this 
stage.  Fence  him  off  on  this  point,  and  dodge 
every  sign  of  a  forthcoming  negative.  But  if 
he  does  get  out  a  "No !"  or  two— do  not  hear 
him.  Let  his  "No !"  slip  off  like  water  from 
a  duck's  back— refuse  to  admit  it  to  your  con- 


THE  APPROACH  191 

sciousness— deny  it  mentally— refuse  the  evi- 
dence of  your  ears.  This  is  no  time  for 
"  Noes  "—go  right  ahead,  unconscious  of  the 
words.  Keep  on  appealing  to  his  Interest, 
in  the  phases  of  Curiosity  and  Associated  In- 
terest. Your  aim  here  is  to  get  the  prospect 
to  the  stage  of  Consideration.  This  stage  is 
indicated  by  his  asking  a  question  showing  a 
desire  to  know  the  particulars  of  your  propo- 
sition. The  question  may  show  but  a  shade 
of  interest,  but  it  marks  a  move  in  the  game. 
It  is  the  prospect's  answering  move  to  your 
opening.  It  is  an  important  psychological 
moment  in  the  game.  The  next  move  is  yours ! 
And  that  move  is  on  the  plane  of  the  Demon- 
stration—for the  stage  of  the  approach  has 
now  been  passed. 


Before  passing  on  to  the  consideration  of 
the  stage  of  Demonstration,  we  desire  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  following  excellent  ad- 
vice regarding  the  matter  of  rebuffs  which  are 
so  often  met  with  in  the  stage  of  Approach. 
It  is  from  the  pen  of  W.  C.  Holman,  and  ap- 
peared in  his  magazine  *  *  Salesmanship. ' '  Mr. 


192  SALESMANSHIP 

Holman  says :  "A  crack-a- jack  salesman  will 
receive  a  rebuff  as  gracefully  and  easily  and 
with  as  little  damage  to  himself  as  a  profes- 
sional baseball  player  will  take  in  a  red-hot 
liner  that  a  batter  drives  at  him,  and  go  right 
on  playing  the  game  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. An  amateur  salesman  will  want  to 
quit  playing,  or  call  the  attention  of  the  um- 
pire to  the  malicious  intent  of  the  batter.  A 
blow  that  would  knock  the  ordinary  man  off 
his  pins  will  do  nothing  more  than  to  give  a 
professional  boxer  a  chance  to  show  his  agility 
and  win  applause.  If  you  drop  a  plank  on 
a  cork  in  the  water  with  a  tremendous  splash 
the  cork  will  bob  up  as  serenely  as  if  nothing 
had  happened,  and  lie  quietly  once  more  on 
the  unruffled  surface  of  the  water.  And  so  a 
clever  salesman,  when  a  smashing  blow  is 
aimed  at  him  by  a  surly  prospect,  will  merely 
sidestep  gracefully  and  continue  calmly  with 
the  prosecution  of  his  purpose.  *  *  * 
Self-control  disarms  all  ill  natured  attacks/' 


CHAPTEE  IX 

THE   DEMONSTRATION 

In  the  last  chapter  we  left  the  Salesman  at 
that  stage  of  the  Approach  where  the  prospect 
manifests  enough  interest  to  ask  a  question  or 
make  an  interrogative  objection.  This  is  an 
important  psychological  point  or  stage  in  the 
game,  and  here  the  Approach  merges  into  the 
Demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  Salesman ; 
and  the  stage  of  passive  attention  on  the  part 
of  the  prospect  merges  into  that  of  active  at- 
tention, discussion  and  Consideration.  The 
moment  that  the  prospect  ceases  to  be  a  pas- 
sive listener,  and  displays  enough  active  in- 
terest to  ask  a  question  or  make  an  interroga- 
tive objection,  the  great  game  of  the  sale  is 
on  in  earnest.  The  Demonstration  has  begun. 

This  stage  of  the  sale  closely  resembles  a 
game  of  chess  or  checkers.  The  approach  and 
preliminary  talk  of  the  Salesman  is  the  first 
move  in  the  game ;  the  answer,  question  or  ob- 

193 


194  SALESMANSHIP 

jection  of  the  prospect  is  the  second  move- 
then  the  real  game  or  discussion  is  on.  It  is 
now  "up  to"  the  Salesman  to  make  his  second 
move,  which  is  a  reply  move  to  that  of  the 
prospect.  And  this  particular  move  is  a 
highly  important  one  in  the  great  game  of  the 
sale.  Like  an  important  early  move  in 
checkers  or  chess  the  success  or  failure  of 
the  whole  game  may  depend  on  it,  so  it  is  well 
to  have  this  move  mapped  out  as  a  part  of 
your  preliminary  study. 

Macbain  truthfully  says  of  the  first  remark 
of  the  prospect :  "The  customer  is  not  going 
to  commit  himself  in  response  to  the  first  re- 
mark. He  always  holds  considerable  in  re- 
serve. An  objection — either  expressed  or  im- 
plied—can always  be  counted  on.  It  may  vary 
from  a  general  'busy'  statement,  or  'no  in- 
terest in  what  is  about  to  be  submitted,'  or  it 
may  be  a  specific  statement— even  heated,  in 
fact— that  the  one  approached  has  'no  time 
for  the  salesman  or  his  house.'  ' 

But,  just  as  in  chess  or  checkers  there  are 
certain  "replies"  indicated  for  every  one  of 
the  first  few  opening  moves,  all  of  which  are 
fully  stated  and  explained  in  text  books  on 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  195 

these  games,  so  in  the  great  game  of  Sales- 
manship there  are  certain  replies  indicated 
for  these  preliminary  moves  on  the  part  of  the 
prospect.  The  large  selling  concerns  have 
schools  of  instruction,  personal  or  correspond- 
ence, in  which  the  Salesman  is  furnished  with 
the  appropriate  and  logical  answers  to  the  ob- 
jections and  questions  usually  advanced  by 
the  prospect.  It  will  be  found  that  there  are 
really  but  few  moves  of  this  kind  in  the  game 
of  the  average  propsects— they  tend  to  say 
the  same  things  under  the  same  circumstances, 
and  there  is  always  an  appropriate  answer. 
The  salesman  will  acquire  many  of  these 
answers  by  experience,  conversation  with 
older  salesmen,  or  by  instruction  from  his 
sales-manager  or  the  house.  Each  line  has 
its  own  stock  of  objections,  and  its  own  stock 
of  replies  thereto. 

There  are  twvj  general  classes  of  replies  to 
objections,  which  apply  to  nearly  ^very  kind  ( 
of  proposition.  The  first  is  that  of  deftly 
catching  the  objection  on  your  mental  fencing- 
foil,  allowing  it  to  glance  off,  and  at  the  same 
time  getting  a  thrust  on  your  opponent. 
President  Patterson  of  the  National  Cash 


196  SALESMANSHIP 

Eegister  Company  is  credited  with,  special 
cleverness  in  this  kind  of  reply,  and  his  sales- 
men are  said  to  be  instructed  to  listen  care- 
fully to  the  prospect's  objection  and  then  to 
turn  it  back  on  him  by  a  remark  based  on  the 
principle  of:  "Why,  that's  the  very  reason 
why  you  should, ' '  etc.  In  other  words  ih&jQb- 
jection  should  be  twisted  into  an  argument  in 
favor  of  the  proposition.  In  the  hands  of  a 
master  this  form  of  reply  is  very  effective, 
and  often  brings  results  by  reason  of  its  dar- 
ing and  unexpectedness.  But  it  is  not  every 
one  who  has  the  skill  to  use  it  to  advantage. 
The  second  class  of  reply  is  based  upon 
what  is  called  Indirect  Resistance,  which,  by 
the  way,  is  often  the  strongest  form  of  re- 
sistance, and  accomplishes  its  intended  effect 
while  avoiding  the  opposition  and  antagonism 
of  Direct  Resistance.  Some  writers  on  the 
subject  have  called  this  "Non-Resistance," 
obviously  a  misnomer  for  it  is  a  form  of  re- 
sistance although  subtly  disguised.  It  is  anal- 
ogous to  the  tree  that  bends  in  order  to  avoid 
breaking  under  the  blasts  of  the  storm;  of 
the  flexible  steel  which  bends  to  the  pressure, 
instead  of  breaking  as  would  iron ;  but  both  of 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  197 

which  spring  back  into  place  immediately.  It 
is  generally  very  poor  policy  to  directly  op- 
pose the  prospect  upon  minor  points— the 
main  point  is  what  you  are  after.  And  the 
main  point  is  the  order — the  rest  is  imma- 
terial and  unimportant.  Let  us  contrast 
Direct-Eesistance  and  Indirect-Eesistance, 
and  see  the  points  of  each. 

In  Direct  Eesistance  the  minor  objections 
of  the  prospect  are  met  with  the  answer: 
"You  are  wrong  there,  Mr.  X;"  or,  "You  are 
entirely  mistaken;77  or,  "You  take  the  wrong 
view ; 7  7  or,  as  we  heard  in  one  instance :  '  '  Your 
objection  is  ridiculous.77  The  Direct  Eesist- 
ance is  necessary  in  a  few  contingencies,  or 
upon  rare  occasions,  but  it  should  be  sparingly 
and  cautiously  used.  It  is  a  desperate  remedy 
indicated  only  for  desperate  diseases.  The 
Indirect  Eesistance  expresses  itself  in  an- 
swers of:  "That  is  possibly  true  in  some 
cases,  but,"  etc.;  or,  "There  is  much  truth  in 
what  you  say,  Mr.  X,  but/'  etc.;  or,  "As  a 
general  proposition  that  is  probably  correct, 
but/'  'etc.;  or,  "I  quite  agree  with  you,  Mr. 
X.  that  (etc.)  but  in  this  particular  case  I 
think  an  exception  should  be  made,77  etc. 


198  SALESMANSHIP 

The  value  of  this  form  of  resistance  lies  in 
the  fact  that  it  costs  you  nothing  to  allow  the 
prospect  to  retain  his  own  ideas  and  entertain 
his  own  prejudices,  provided  they  do  not  in- 
terfere with  the  logic  of  your  general  argu- 
ment, nor  affect  your  main  point,  the  order. 
You  are  not  a  missionary  or  a  pedagogue— 
you  are  just  a  Salesman  and  your  business  is 
to  take  orders.  Let  the  old  fellow  keep  his 
foolish  ideas  and  intolerant  prejudices,  pro- 
viding you  can  steer  him  straight  to  the  or- 
dering point.  The  active  principle  in  Indirect 
Besistance  is  to  get  rid  of  his  general  objec- 
tions in  the  easiest  and  shortest  way,  by  allow- 
ing him  to  retain  them,  and  concentrating 
your  and  his  attention  and  interest  upon  the 
particular  points  of  your  proposition— the 
positive  and  material  points  of  your  particular 
case.  Avoid  disputes  on  non-essentials,  gen- 
eralities, and  immaterial  points.  You  are 
not  striving  for  first  prize  in  debate— you're 
after  orders.  Eemember  the  legal  principles 
of  the  "pertinent,  relevant,  and  material" 
points,  and  side-track  the  "immaterial,  irrel- 
evant and  impertinent"  side-issues,  even  if 
you  have  to  tacitly  admit  them  in  Indirect  Ee- 


THE   t)EMONSTKATION 


sistance.   Here  it  is  in  a  nutshell  :  Sidetrack 
and  Sidestep  the  Non-Essentials. 

The  Salesman  has  now  reached  the  point 
in  which  the  prospect  is  manifesting  the  psy- 
chological jitage  of  Consideration'—  the  stage 
in  which  he  is  willing  to  '  '  look  into  '  '  the  mat- 
ter, or  rather  into  the  subject  or  object  of  the 
proposition.  This  stage  ...must  not  be  confused 
with  that  of  Deliberation,  in  which  the  pros- 
pect weighs  the  pros  and  cons  of  whether  he 
should  purchase.  The  two  stages  are  quite  dif- 
ferent. The  present  stage—  that  of  Considera- 
tion —  is  merely  the  phase  of  examination,  in- 
vestigation or  inquiry  into  the  matter,  to  see 
if  there  is  really  anything  of  real  practical  in- 
terest in  it  for  himself.  It  is  more  than  mere 
Associated  Interest,  for  it  has  passed  into 
the  manifestation  of  interested  investigation. 
In  many  cases  the  process  never  gets  beyond 
this  stage,  particularly  if  the  Salesman  does 
not  understand  the  psychology  of  the  process. 
Many  salesmen  make  the  mistake  of  trying  to 
make  their  closing  talk  at  this  point—but  this 
is  a  mistake.  The  prospect  must  understand 
something  about  the  details  of  the  proposi- 
tion, or  the  qualities  and  characteristics  of 


200  SALESMANSHIP 

the  goods,  before  lie  uses  his  imagination  or 
feels  inclination  to  possess  the  thing.  So  here 
is  where  the  work  of  explanation  comes  in. 

The  term  *  '  Demonstration"  has  two  general 
means,  each  of  which  is  exemplified  by 
stages  in  the  Salesman's  work  of  Demonstra- 
tion. The  first  meaning,  and  stage,  is:  *'A 
showing  or  pointing  out  ;  an  indication,  mani- 
festation or  -exhibition."  The  second  mean- 
ing, and  stage,  is  :  "  The  act  of  proving  clear- 
ly, by  incontrovertible  proof  and  indubitable 
evidence,  beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt  or 
contradiction."  /  The  first 


'  i  showing  and  pointing  out  "_—  the  second,  that 
of  "proof."  The  first  is  that  of  presenting 
the  features  of  a  thing—  the  second,  that  of 
logical  argument  and  proof.  And,  therefore, 
remember  that  you  are  now  at  the  stage  of 
"showing  and  pointing  out,"  and  not  that  of 
1  '  argument  and  proof.  '  ' 

Eegarding  the  matter  of  "showing  and 
pointing  out"  the  features  and  characteristics 
of  your  goods  or  proposition,  you  should  al- 
ways remember  that  the  prospect  does  not 
know  the  details  of  your  proposition  or  article 
of  sale  as  you  do—  or  as  you  should  know. 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  201 

The  subject  is  not  " stale"  to  him,  as  it  may 
have  become  to  you  if  you  have  not  kept  up 
your  enthusiasm.  Therefore,  while  avoiding 
needless  waste  of  time,  do  not  make  the  mis- 
take of  rushing  this  point  of  the  demonstra- 
tion and  thus  neglecting  the  important  feat- 
ures. Better  one  feature  well  explained  and 
emphasized,  than,  a  score  hurried  over  in  a 
sloppy  manner.  It  is  better  to  concentrate 
upon  a  few  leading  and  striking  points  of 
demonstration,  of  material  interest  to  the 
prospect,  and  to  assume  that  he  does  not  know 
anything  about  them  except  as  he  may  show 
his  knowledge  by  questions  or  objections— all 
this  in  a  courteous  manner,  of  course,  avoiding 
the  "know  it  all"  air.  The  prospect  must 
have  time  to  allow  the  points  to  sink  into  his 
mind— some  men  are  slower  than  others  in 
this  respect.  Watch  the  prospect's  face  to  see 
by  his  expression  whether  or  not  he  really 
understands  what  you  are  saying.  Better 
present  one  point  in  a  dozen  ways,  to  obtain 
understanding,  than  to  present  a  dozen  points 
in  one  way  and  fail  to  be  understood. 

In   order  to   demonstrate  your  goods   or 
proposition  at  this  stage,  you  must  have  fully 


202 


acquainted  yourself  with  them,  and  also  have 
arranged  the  telling  points  in  a  natural  and 
logical  order  of  presentation,  working  from 
the  simple  up  to  the  complex.  Be  careful  not 
to  suggest  buying  at  this  point,  lest  your  pros- 
pect take  fright  and  lose  interest  in  the  demon- 
stration. He  is  naturally  in  a  defensive  mood, 
for  he  scents  the  appeal  to  his  pocket  book  in 
the  distance—  you  must  try  to  take  his  mind 
off  this  point  by  arousing  his  interested  atten- 
tion in  the  details  of  your  goods  or  proposi- 
tion. Explain  the  details  just  as  you  would 
if  the  prospect  had  called  upon  you  for  the 
purpose  of  investigation.  In  fact,  if  you  can 
work  yourself  up  to  the  proper  Mental 
Attitude  you  may  effect  the  psychological 
change  by  which  the  positions  may  be  re- 
versed, and  so  that  it  will  instinctively  seem 
to  the  prospect  that  he  is  calling  on  you  and 
not  you  on  him.  There  is  an  important  psy- 
chological point  here  which  you  would  do  well 
to  remember.  The  man  who  is  called  upon 
always  has  "the  move"  on  the  caller—  if  you 
can  reverse  this  psychological  condition,  you 
have  gained  a  great  advantage.  An  awakened 
personal  interest  in  the  details  of  a  proposi- 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  203 

tion,  on  the  part  of  the  prospect,  tends  to  re- 
verse the  conditions. 

If  you  would  understand  what  a  scientific 
demonstration  of  an  article  or  proposition  is 
like,  it  would  pay  you  to  listen  to  the  demon- 
stration by  a  well-trained  salesman  of  the 
National  Cash  Register  Company.  This  com- 
pany drills  its  salesmen  thoroughly  in  this 
part  of  their  work,  until  they  have  every  de- 
tail fastened  in  their  minds  in  its  proper  log- 
ical order.  An  old  salesman  of  this  company 
should  be  able  to  repeat  his  formula  back- 
wards as  well  as  in  the  regular  order— begin- 
ning at  the  middle  and  working  either  back- 
ward or  forward,  at  will.  He  understands 
the  "why"  and  "what  for"  of  every  detail  of 
his  article  and  proposition,  and  is  taught  to 
present  them  in  their  logical  order.  Listen- 
ing to  a  talk  of  one  of  their  best  salesmen  is 
a  liberal  education  in  demonstration. 

The  essence  of  this  stage  of  the  demonstra- 
tion is  that  it  should  be  given  in  the  spirit  of 
a  conversational  recital  of  an  interesting 
story,  or  description  of  an  event.  Speak  in  an 
impersonal  way;  that  is,  avoid  suggesting  to 
the  prospect  that  you  are  trying  to  sell  him 


204  SALESMANSHIP 

the  thing.  Let  this  part  of  your  talk  be  given 
from  the  sheer  enthusiasm  inspired  in  your 
mind  by  the  merits  of  your  proposition.  Let 
it  be  a  labor  of  love— forget  all  about  your 
hope  of  sale  or  profit.  Your  one  aim  and  ob- 
ject of  life,  at  that  moment,  should  be  that  of 
inspiring  the  prospect  with  the  wonderful 
merits  of  your  proposition,  which  you  your- 
self entertain.  Yours  should  be  the  spirit 
of  the  propogandist  seeking  converts — im- 
parting information  for  the  good  of  others, 
and ' '  for  the  cause. ' '  Forget  the  forthcoming 
collection  plate,  in  the  earnestness  of  your 
sermon. 

The  National  Cash  Eegister  Company  in- 
structs its  salesmen  as  follows  regarding  this 
stage  of  the  demonstration :  '  *  When  you  have 
gotten  a  prospect  to  a  demonstration  you  have 
accomplished  a  most  important  step.  You 
can  take  it  for  granted  that  he  is  to  some  ex- 
tent interested  in  the  subject.  Now,  by  all 
means  make  the  most  of  that  opportunity.  Say 
what  you  have  to  say  to  him  thoroughly  and 
carefully.  Don't  rattle  off  your  demonstra- 
tion in  a  hurry,  as  if  you  were  wound  up  and 
had  to  say  so  many  words  to  the  minute.  Give 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  205 

him  a  chance  to  speak,  to  ask  questions  or 
make  objections.  He  probably  has  certain 
ideas  in  his  mind  which  may  be  a  decided 
help  or  a  decided  hindrance  to  your  argument. 
You  ought  to  learn  what  they  are.  Don't 
imagine  because  he  listens  in  silence  that  he 
agrees  with  you,  or  even  understands  all  you 
say.  Speak  deliberately.  If  you  see  from  a 
puzzled  or  doubtful  look  on  his  face  that  any- 
thing is  not  quite  plain  to  him,  stop  and  make 
it  plain.  Take  time  enough  to  explain  each 
point  thoroughly.  Whenever  you  make  a 
statement  that  is  open  to  question,  be  sure  to 
get  his  assent  to  it  before  you  proceed.  If  he 
will  not  assent  to  it  exactly  as  you  make  it, 
modify  it  until  he  does.  Get  him  to  assent  in 
some  degree  to  every  proposition  you  make,  so 
that  when  you  get  to  the  general  result  he 
cannot  go  back  and  disagree  with  you.  Don't 
do  this  however  as  if  you  were  trying  to  cor- 
ner him,  but  with  a  simple  desire  to  reach  a 
reasonable  basis  of  argument.  Cast  aside  all 
attempts  at  being  a  clever  talker,  all  idea  that 
there  is  any  trick  of  words  or  manner,  any 
secret  artfulness  about  selling  registers,  and 
put  yourself  in  the  plain,  unaffected  spirit  of 


206  SALESMANSHIP 

a  man  who  has  simply  a  truth  to  tell,  and 
is  bent  upon  telling  it  in  the  plainest,  homliest 
way.  Avoid  above  all  things  the  fatal  mis- 
take of  demonstrating  to  your  prospect  with 
a  sense  of  fear,  haste,  and  uncertainty. 
Eealize  fully  the  power  of  the  facts  behind 
you,  and  have  the  full  confidence  of  your  con- 
victions; coolly  and  deliberately  make  each 
point  clear  and  conclusive,  and  lead  the  pros- 
pect by  simple  steps  up  to  absolute  convic- 
tion. " 

If  you  have  held  your  prospect's  interested 
attention  during  this  stage  of  the  Demonstra- 
tion, you  will  find  that  his  imagination  is  be- 
ginning to  work  in  the  direction  of  making 
mental  pictures  of  how  the  thing  or  prop- 
osition would  work  for  him— how  the  article 
would  look  in  his  possession.  It  is  a  psycho- 
logical law  that  interested  investigation,  or 
consideration,  tends  to  awaken  the  interest  of 
imagination  and  desire  if  the  object  of  the  in- 
vestigation blends  with  the  general  trend  of 
the  person's  thought  and  feelings.  The  very 
process  of  investigation  inevitably  brings  to 
light  new  points  of  interest.  And,  then,  the 
act  of  investigation  and  discovery,  instinctive- 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  207 

ly  creates  a  feeling  of  proprietorship  in  the 
thing  investigated  or  discovered.  It  estab- 
lishes an  association  between  the  object  and 
its  investigator. 

Hallecksays:  "*  *  *  We  must  not  for- 
get that  any  one  not  shallow  and  fickle  can 
soon  discover  something  interesting  in  most 
objects  *  *  *  the  attention  which  they 
are  able  to  give  generally  ends  in  finding  a 
pearl  in  the  most  uninteresting  looking  oyster. 
*  *  *  The  essence,  of  genius  is  to  present 
an  old  thing  in  new  ways. ' '  And  again : 
"When  we  think  about  a  thing,  or  keep  the 
mind  full  of  a  subject,  the  activity  in  certain 
brain  tracts  is  probably  much  increased.  As 
a  result  of  this  unconscious  preparation,  a  full 
fledged  image  may  suddenly  arise  in  con- 
sciousness." Hoffding  says:  "The  inter- 
weaving of  the  elements  of  the  picture  in  the 
imagination  takes  place  in  great  measure  be- 
low the  threshold  of  consciousness,  so  that 
the  image  suddenly  emerges  in  consciousness 
complete  in  its  broad  outlines,  the  conscious 
result  of  an  unconscious  process."  Halleck 
also  says:  "A  representative  image  of  the 
thing  desired  is  the  necessary  antecedent  to 


208  SALESMANSHIP 

desire.  Not  until  a  representative  idea  comes 
to  the  mind  does  desire  arise.  It  has  often 
been  said  that  where  there  is  no  knowledge 
there  can  be  no  desire.  A  child  sees  a  new  toy 
and  wants  it.  A  man  notices  some  improve- 
ments about  his  neighbor's  house  and  wishes 
them.  One  nation  finds  out  that  another  has 
a  war  ship  of  a  superior  model,  and  straight- 
way desires  something  as  good  or  better.  A 
scholar  sees  a  new  cyclopedia  or  work  of  ref- 
erence, and  desire  for  it  arises.  A  person 
returns  and  tells  his  friends  how  delightful  a 
foreign  trip  is.  Their  desires  for  travel  in- 
crease. Knowledge  gives  birth  to  desire,  and 
desire  points  out  the  point  to  will."  In  this 
paragraph  we  have  quoted  eminent  authori- 
ties, showing  the  direct  line  of  psycholog- 
ical progress  from  interested  investigation, 
through  imagination,  to  desire  and  will.  One 
investigates  and  gains  favorable  knowledge 
regarding  a  subject;  then  Ms  imagination 
operates  to  show  him  the  possibility  of  its  suc- 
cessful application  to  his  personal  case ;  then 
his  desire  for  the  thing  is  awakened. 

The  stage  of  Imagination  is  reached  when 
tlie  prospect  begins  to  think  of  the  thing  or 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  209 

proposition  in  connection  with  himself.  He 
then  begins  to  picture  it  in  its  application  to 
his  needs  or  requirements,  or  in  relation  to 
his  general  desires,  tastes  and  feelings.  The 
Salesman,  in  order  to  awaken  the  Imagination 
of  the  prospect,  should  endeavor  to  paint 
picture  s  "of  the  thing  injj 


application,  value,  and  utility.  He  should  en- 
TleavTHrTcT  make  the  prospect  see,  mentally, 
the  desirability  of  the  thing  to  any  man—  how 
it  will  work  for  good;  how  it  will  benefit  one; 
how  great  an  advantage  it  will  be  for  one; 
how  much  good  it  will  be  in  every  way  for  its 
possessor.  Avoid  the  personal  application, 
even  at  this  late  stage  —  make  the  application 
general,  so  as  to  avoid  scaring  off  the  pros- 
pect's pocket  book.  The  whole  idea  and  aim 
of  this  stage  of  the  process  of  sale  is  to  awaken 
inclination  in  the  prospect—  to  make  his  mouth 
water  for  the  thing—to  make  him  begin  to 
fetjl  that  he  would  like  to  have  it,  himself. 
He  must  be  put  into  the  mental  condition  of 
the  woman  gazing  longingly  at  the  hat  in  the 
milliner's  window;  or  of  the  boy  who  is  peek- 
ing through  the  knot-hole  in  the  fence  of  the 
base-ball  park.  He  must  be  led  into  the  feel- 


210  SALESMANSHIP 

ing  that  lie  is  on  the  outside  of  the  fence  or 
window— and  the  good  thing  is  inside.  He 
will  then  begin  to  feel  the  inclination  or  de- 
sire to  "get  on  the  inside." 

We  once  heard  a  tale  of  two  Southern 
darkies,  which  illustrates  this  point.  The  two 
were  riding  on  the  same  mule's  back  coming 
home  from  work.  The  foremost  darkey  began 
relating  the  story  of  some  roast  possum  he 
had  feasted  upon  the  preceding  night.  He 
pictured  the  possum  as  fat  and  tender;  how 
they  first  "briled"  him,  and  then  roasted  him 
in  the  oven ;  how  juicy  and  brown  he  looked ; 
how  nice  he  smelt;  how  he  was  served  up 
"wid  coon-gravy  poured  all  over  him;7'  and 
finally  how  nice  he  tasted  when  the  narrator 
dug  Ms  teeth  into  him.  The  darkey  in  the  rear 
displayed  increasing  signs  of  uneasiness  as 
the  tale  proceeded  and  as  he  imagined  first 
the  sight,  then  the  smell,  and  then  the  taste  of 
the  possum.  Finally  he  groaned,  and  shouted 
out:  "Shet  up,  yer  fool  niger!  Does  yer 
wanter  make  me  fall  clean  offen  dis  yer 
mewel?"  This  is  the  point— you  must  make 
your  prospect  see,  smell  and  taste  the  good 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  211 

possum  you  have,  until  he  is  ready  to  "fall 
off  en  de  mewel. ' ' 

Words  describing  action,  taste,  feelings,  or 
in  fact  anything  which  relates  to  sense  per- 
ceptions, tend  to  arouse  the  imagination.  If 
the  Salesman  cultivates  the  art  of  actually 
seeing,  tasting  or  feeling  the  thing  in  his 
own  imagination,  as  he  talks,  he  will  tend  to 
re-produce  his  mental  pictures  in  the  mind  of 
his  prospect.  Imagination  is  contagious— 
along  the  lines  of  suggestion.  Descriptions  of 
sensations,  or  feelings,  tend  to  awaken  a 
sympathetic  response  and  representation  in 
the  minds  of  others,  along  the  lines  of  sug- 
gestion. Did  you  never  have  your  imagina- 
tion and  desire  fired  by  the  description  of  a 
thing— didn't  you  want  to  see,  feel,  or  taste 
it  yourself?  Did  you  never  feel  the  effect  of 
words  like:  "delicious;  fragrant;  luscious; 
sweet;  mild;  invigorating;  bracing, "  etc.,  in 
an  advertisement?  How  many  young  people 
have  been  hurried  into  matrimony  by  an  il- 
lustration or  word-picture  of  a  "happy 
home;"  "a  little  wife  to  meet  you  at  the 
door;"  "little  children  clustering  around 
you,"  and  all  the  rest  of  it?  A  well  known 


212  SALESMANSHIP 

instalment  furniture  dealer  of  Chicago  is  said 
to  be  psychologically  responsible  for  thous- 
ands of  weddings,  by  his  suggestive  pictures 
of  the  "happy  home"  and  his  kind  statement 
that ' '  We  will  Feather  your  Nest ; ' '  and ' '  You 
find  the  Bride,  and  we  will  do  the  rest."  The 
Salesman  who  can  "paint  bright  pictures  in 
the  mind"  of  his  prospect,  will  succeed  in 
awakening  the  Imagination,  and  arousing  the 
Inclination  and  Desire.  Newman  well  said: 
"Deductions  have  no  power  of  persuasion. 
The  heart  is  commonly  reached,  not  through 
the  reason,  but  through  the  imagination. 
*  *  *  Persons  influence  us,  voices  melt  us, 
looks  subdue  us,  deeds  inflame  us." 

And  so  we  pass  to  the  stage  of  Inclination 
or  Desire,  by  the  road  of  the  Imagination. 

The  mental  state  of  Inclination,  or  Desire, 
following  upon  the  arousing  of  the  appro- 
priate faculties  through  the  Imagination 
which  arises  in  the  stage  of  Consideration, 
may  be  briefly  described  as  the  feeling  of: 
"This  seems  to  be  a  good  thing—/  would  like 
to  have  it."  This  Inclination  has  been  aroused 
by  demonstration  a(ad  suggestion,  and  the 
prospect  begins  to  experience  the  feeling  that 


TIIE  DEMONSTRATION  213 

the  possession  of  the  thing  will  add  to  his 
pleasure,  comfort,  well-being,  satisfaction  or 
profit.  You  will  remember  the  statement  re- 
garding Desire  given  in  a  previous  chapter: 
"Desire  Jias  for  its  object  something  which 
will  bring  pleasure  or  get  rid  of  pain,  imme- 
diate or  remote,  for  the  individual  or  for 
some  one  in  whom  he  is  interested.  Aversion, 
or  a  striving  to  get  away  from  something,  is 
merely  the  negative  aspect  of  desire."  It  is 
this  feeling  that  you  have  aroused  in  some  de- 
gree in  the  mind  of  the  propsect.  You  have 
brought  him  to  the  first  stages  of  Inclination, 
which  naturally  brings  him  to  a  deliberation 
as  to  whether  he  is  justified  in  purchasing  it, 
and  to  the  point  where  he  will  begin  to  weigh 
the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  the  pur- 
chase—the question  of  whether  he  is  willing  to 
"pay  the  price"  for  it,  which  is,  after  all,  the 
vital  question  in  nearly  all  forms  of  delibera- 
tion following  Inclination  and  Desire.  But  as 
the  prospect's  mind  passes  to  the  stage  of 
Deliberation,  you  must  not  lose  sight  of  the 
question  of  Desire,  for  it  may  be  necessary  to 
re-kindle  it  in  him,  or  to  blow  upon  its  sparks, 
when  he  debates  the  "to  buy  or  not  to  buy." 


214  SALESMAKSHIP 

The  Deliberation  is  largely  a  question  of  a 
conflict  of  motives,  and  Desire  is  a  powerful 
motive— so  you  must  be  ready  to  arouse  a 
new  phase  of  "want  to"  in  the  prospect  to 
counterbalance  some  other  motive  which  may 
be  turning  the  scales  in  the  other  direction. 

.J3L§5*5£J^  ™*9L*?J5  st^e^ofJOgKbgratioii, 

or  Argument,  the  discussion  passes  from  the 
impersonal  plane  to  the  personal.  Thejjiies- 
tion  no  longer  is :  "  I§  not  this  a  good  thing  ? ' ' 
to  that  of  "Should  you  not  have  it  for  your 
own?"  This  is  a  distinct  change  of  base,  and 
a  different  set  of  faculties  are  now  employed 
by  the  Salesman.  He  leaves  the  Descriptive 
phase  and  enters  into  that  of  Argument,  He 
enters  into  that  second  meaning  or  phase  of 
Demonstration  which  has  been  defined  as: 
"Proving  clearly."  And  the  question  of 
proof  and  argument  is  that  of  whether  the 
prospect  is  not  justified  in  acquiring  the  thing. 
The  prospect's  mind  is  already  considering 
the  two  sides  of  the  question,  his  Caution  com- 
bating his  Inclination.  He  is  like ' '  Jeppe ' '  of 
whom  we  told  you  in  a  previous  chapter. 
It  is  now  a  question  of  "my  back  or  my 
stomach,"  with  him.  The  Salesman's  busi- 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  215 

ness  now  is  to  demonstrate  to  him  that  he  can 
and  should  acquire  the  thing.  This  is  a  pro- 
ceeding in  which  the  Salesman's  tact,  re- 
sources, knowledge  of  human  nature,  per- 
suasive power,  and  his  logic  are  needed. 

The  Salesman  has  an  advantage  here  which 
he  often  overlooks.  We  refer  to  the  fact  that 
the  very  objections  of  the  prospect,  and  his 
questions  give  a  key  to  his  mental  operations, 
which  may  be  followed  up  by  the  Salesman. 
He  knows  now  what  is  on  the  prospect's  mind, 
and  what  are  his  general  feelings,  views,  and 
inclinations  regarding  the  matter.  When  he 
begins  to  talk  he  gives  you  a  glimpse  at  his 
motives,  prejudices,  hopes  and  fears.  It  is 
quite  an  art  to  lead  the  prospect  to  ask  the 
questions  or  to  make  the  objections  to  which 
you  have  a  strong  answering  argument.  You 
then  are  able  to  turn  back  upon  him  his  own 
argument.  It  is  a  psychological  fact  that  the 
force  of  a  statement  made  in  answer  to  an  in- 
terrogative objection,  is  much  stronger  than 
would  be  the  same  statement  made  without 
the  question  or  objection. 

Macbain  says :  ' '  Lincoln,  it  is  related,  early 
learned  in  beginning  the  study  of  law,  that  he 


216  SALESMANSHIP 

did  not  know  what  it  was  to  prove  a  thing. 
By  means  of  careful^  conscientious  study,  in 
which  he  took  up  the  problems  of  Euclid,  one 
by  one,  he  satisfied  himself  that  he  then 
realized  absolutely  what  it  meant  to  prove  a 
proposition.  One  of  the  most  eminent  judges 
of  the  Iowa  judiciary  regards  every  legal 
problem  as  a  proposition  to  be  proved  by  a 
chain  of  reasoning.  The  salesman  who  de- 
termines with  absolute  accuracy  what  it 
means,  first,  to  prove  a  proposition,  and 
second  to  apply  the  general  principles  of 
demonstration  to  an  immediate  matter  in 
hand,  knows  just  how  far  to  go  in  making  his 
demonstration,  what  to  include  and  what  to 
exclude.  He  can  see  in  his  mind's  eye  the 
chain  of  evidence  that  he  is  fashioning  and 
will  make  that  fabric  of  his  mind  exact,  logical 
and  convincing. " 

(Note:— In  order  to  train  the  student  in 
logical  thinking,  development  of  the  logical 
faculties,  and  the  art  of  expressing  one's 
thoughts  in  a  logical  and  effective  manner, 
we  would  suggest  that  he  make  inquiry  re- 
garding the  volumes  of  the  present  series 
known  as  "The  Art  of  Logical  Thinking,  or 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  217 

Le' 

The  Laws  of  Keasoning;"  "Thought-Culture, 
or  Practical  Mental  Training;"  and  "The 
Art  of  Expression."  These  books  are  pub- 
lished by  the  house  issuing  the  present  vol- 
ume.) 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  field  of  discussion  in 
this  stage  of  Deliberation  covers  not  only  the 
subject  of  the  value  and  utility  of  the  goods 
or  proposition,  but  also  the  question  of  the 
price,  the  advisibility  of  the  purchase  at  this 
time,  the  special  advantages  possessed,  the 
over-balancing  of  assumed  disadvantages,  and 
in  fact  the  whole  question  of  purchase  from 
beginning  to  end.  The  one  thing  to  be  held 
in  the  mind  of  the  Salesman,  however,  is 
"This  will  do  you  good;  this  will  do  you  good; 
this  will  do  you  good!"  Keep  hammering 
away  at  this  one  nail,  in  a  hundred  ways— 
hold  it  up  to  view  from  a  hundred  viewpoints 
and  angles.  It  is  the  gist  of  the  whole  argu- 
ment, at  the  last.  Don't  allow  yourself  to  be 
sidetracked  from  this  essential  proposition, 
even  if  the  argument  spreads  itself  over  a 
wide  field.  The  point  is  that  (1)  the  thing  is 
good;  (2)  the  prospect  needs  it;  and  (3)  that 
you  do  him  a  good  turn  by  making  him  see 


218  SALESMANSHIP 

that  he  needs  it.  We  once  knew  of  a  very  suc- 
cessful life-insurance  salesman  who  had  but 
two  points  to  his  selling  talk.  These  were: 
(1)  "Life  insurance  is  a  necessity;"  and  (2) 
"My  company  is  sound. "  He  brushed  aside 
all  other  points  as  immaterial,  and  insisted 
with  all  his  heart  and  soul  upon  his  two  points. 
He  was  not  an  educated  man,  nor  was  he 
vesrsed  in  the  technicalities  of  life-insurance, 
but  he  knew  his  two  points  from  cellar  to 
garret.  He  outsold  many  men  with  actuarial 
minds,  and  extended  knowledge.  He  followed 
the  "rifle-ball"  policy,  instead  of  the  "shot 
gun"  plan.  When  he  struck  the  target,  he 
made  a  mark ! 

It  is  the  Mental  Attitude  of  the  Salesman 
which  is  the  power  behind  his  argumentive 
rifle-balls.  It  is  his  enthusiasm  which  warms 
up  the  prospect's  imagination  and  desire. 
And,  back  of  these,  must  always  be  his  belief 
in  his  own  proposition.  The  Salesman  must 
"sell  himself"  over  and  over  again,  as  friend 
Holman  has  suggested.  He  must  answer 
every  objection  which  occurs  to  himself,  as 
well  as  those  which  are  thrust  upon  him  in  his 
work.  If  the  goods  are  right,  there  must  be 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  219 

an  answer  to  every  objection,  just  as  there 
is  a  return-move  to  every  move  in  chess- 
just  as  there  always  is  "the  other  side"  to 
everything.  He  must  find  this  move,  and  this 
"other  side"  to  every  objection  to  which  his 
proposition  is  open.  And  he  must  "sell  him- 
self" over  and  over  again,  as  we  have  said. 
The  National  Cash  Eegister  people  say  to 
their  salesmen:  "Selling  registers  is  a 
straight-forward  serious  work.  You  have  a 
plain  statement  to  make  of  the  facts  which 
you  are  convinced  are  true,  and  which  you 
are  certain  it  is  for  the  prospect's  benefit  to 
know.  You  should  be  as  sincere  about  it  as 
if  you  were  a  clergyman  preaching  the  gospel. 
If  you  go  at  it  in  this  sincere  spirit  the  pros- 
pect will  feel  the  importance  of  what  you  say, 
and  it  will  carry  its  due  weight.  It  is  a  fact 
which  you  must  fully  believe,  that  the  registeu 
is  a  great  benefit  to  any  man  who  buys  it ;  that 
it  will  save  any  merchant  many  times  its  cost 
while  he  is  paying  for  it." 

Pierce  says :  "  So  in  selling— it  is  absolute- 
ly essential  to  be  genuine.  First,  last  and 
foremost—be  genuine.  Practice  absolutely 
what  you  preach.  Be  honest.  Never  under- 


220  SALESMANSHIP 

take  a  line  of  goods  that  you  cannot  enthu- 
siastically endorse.  Otherwise  you  cannot 
'sell  yourself. '  And  selling  one's  self  is  by 
all  means  necessary.  Students  have  asked 
us:  'How  about  being  honest  when  the  cus^ 
tomer  asks  you  a  question  that  you  know  in 
your  heart  you  cannot  answer  straight-for- 
wardly?'  The  answer  is:  Drop  that  line; 
the  sooner  the  better." 

It  is  true  that  there  are  men  who  "wear  the 
livery  of  heaven  in  which  to  serve  the  devil," 
and  who  practice  self-hypnotization  upon 
themselves  until  they  get  to  actually  believe 
that  they  are  advocating  an,  honest  proposition 
in  place  of  the  "fake"  they  are  proposing. 
And  many  of  these  "confidence-meni"  and 
"green-goods  men"  throw  themselves  so 
earnestly  into  their  acting  that  they  persuade 
their  victims  by  reason  of  their  earnestness. 
We  remember  Bulwer's  tale  of  the  French 
beggar  whose  tears  wrought  havoc  upon  the 
hearts  of  his  susceptible  victims.  "How  are 
you  able  to  weep  at  will?"  he  was  asked.  "I 
think  of  my  poor  father  who  is  dead,"  he  an- 
swered. Bulwer  adds:  "The  union  of  senti- 
ment with  the  ability  of  swindling  made  that 


THE  DEMONSTRATION  221 

Frenchman  a  most  fascinating  creature!" 
But  every  genuine  thing  must  have  its 
counterfeit— the  existence  of  the  latter  only 
serves  to  prove  the  former.  The  success  of 
the  "  J.  Eufus  Wallingford  V  of  real  life,  are 
more  than  equaled  by  their  final  downfall. 
No  man  can  continue  to  prostitute  his  talents 
and  be  happy,  or  even  ultimately  successful. 
The  Law  of  Compensation  is  in  full  opera- 
tion. No,  we're  not  preaching— just  indulg- 
ing in  a  little  philosophy,  that's  all! 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  the  stage  of  the  Sales- 
man's  Closing,  and  the  prospect's  Decision 
and  Action. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    CLOSING 

The  "Closing"  is  a  stage  of  the  sale  that  is 
an  object  of  dread  to  the  majority  of  sales- 
men. In  fact  some  salesmen  content  them- 
selves with  leading  the  prospect  to  the  point 
bordering  on  Decision  and  Action,  and  then 
lose  heart,  leave  the  prospect,  and  later  bring 
around  the  sales  manager  or  special  "closer  " 
for  the  concern.  They  can  lead  the  horse  to 
the  trough,  but  they  cannot  make  him  drink. 
While  it  is  true  that  the  stage  of  Closing  is 
a  delicate  one,  and  involving  as  it  does  some 
practical  psychological  strategy,  nevertheless' 
we  are  of  the  opinion  that  many  salesmen  are 
victims  of  their  own  adverse  auto-suggestions 
in  this  matter— they  make  a  boogaboo  of  the 
thing  which  is  often  found  to  be  but  lath  and 
plaster  instead  of  solid  iron  and  granite. 
Many  a  salesman  is  defeated  in  his  Closing 
by  his  own  fears  rather  than  by  the  prospect. 

222 


THE  CLOSING  223 

This  stage  of  the  sale  is  one  in  which  the  Sales- 
man should  draw  on  his  reserve  store  of  en- 
thusiasm and  energy— for  he  needs  it  in  order 
to  carry  the  day.  As  Holman  once  wrote: 
"General  Grant  said  that  in  almost  every 
battle,  after  hours  of  fighting,  there  came  a 
critical  moment  in  which  both  parties  were 
tired  out,  and  the  side  that  braced  up  at  that 
moment  and  pounded  hard  would  win.  This 
is  probably  so  in  selling.  A  good  salesman 
knows  that  critcal  moment,  and  pounds. ' ' 

The  main  cause  of  the  failure  to  bring  the 
prospect  to  a  favorable  Decision — the  first  of 
the  two  final  stages  of  the  Closing— is  that 
the  Salesman  has  not  done  his  best  work  in 
the  preliminary  stages  of  the  Demonstration. 
He  has  not  demonstrated  the  proposition 
properly,  or  has  not  awakened  the  Imagina- 
tion and  Inclination  of  the  prospect  to  a  suffi- 
cient extent.  Many  salesmen  slight  the  pre- 
liminary process  of  the  Demonstration  in  their 
anxiety  to  reach  the  Closing— but  this  is  a 
great  mistake,  for  no  structure  is  stronger 
than  its  foundation.  The  Closing  should  fol- 
low as  a  logical  and  legitimate  conclusion  of 
the  preceding  stages.  It  should  be  like  the 


224  SALESMANSHIP 

result  of  a  mathematical  problem  which  has 
been  carefully  worked  out.  Of  course  it  is  im- 
possible for  any  one  Salesman  to  "sell  them 
all,"  from  the  very  nature  of  things— but  the 
average  man  could  sell  a  larger  percentage  of 
prospects  if  he  would  strengthen  himself  along 
the  preliminary  stages  leading  up  to  the  Clos- 
ing, and  to  the  final  steps  of  the  latter. 

The  gist  of  the  whole  matter  of  the  failure 
of  a  prospect  to  make  a  favorable  Decision  is 
this:  He  hasn't  been  convinced!  Why?  If 
you  can  answer  this  question,  you  have  the 
key  to  the  problem.  You  haven't  reached  the 
man's  desire.  Why?  If  you  can  get  him  to 
"want"  the  thing,  the  decision  is  a  mere 
matter  of  final  settling  down  to  choice.  You 
may  have  said  to  the  man,  "This  is  a  good 
thing— you  ought  to  have  it,"  over  and  over 
again— but  have  you  actually  made  him  see 
that  it  was  a  good  thing  and  that  he  ought  to 
have  it?  It  is  one  thing  to  tell  a  man  these 
things,  and  another  to  reproduce  your  own  be- 
liefs in  his  mind. 

The  changing  of  the  talk  from  that  affect- 
ing Deliberation  on  the  part  of  the  prospect, 
to  that  influencing  his  Decision,  is  a  delicate 


THE  CLOSING  225 

matter.  There  is  a  "psychological  moment" 
for  the  change  which  some  men  seem  to  per- 
ceive intuitively,  while  others  have  to  learn 
it  by  hard  experience.  It  is  the  critical  bal- 
ancing point  between  "enough"  and  "too 
much"  talk. 

On  the  one  hand,  the  Salesman  must  beware 
of  a  premature  Closing,  and  on  the  other  he 
must  avoid  "unselling"  a  man  after  he  has 
made  the  psychological  sale.  Some  men  are 
inclined  toward  one  of -these  faults— and  some 
to  the  other.  The  ideal  Salesman  has  found 
the  nice  point  of  balance  between  the  two. 

If  the  Salesman  attempts  to  make  a/prema- 
ture  Closing,  he  will  probably  have  failed  to 
bring  about  the  full  desire  and  careful  De- 
liberation in  the  prospect's  mind.  As  a  prac- 
tical writer  on  the  subject  has  pointed  out, 
this  course  is  a^  faulty  as  that  of  a  lawyer 
•who  would  attempt  to  begin  his  closing  ad- 
dress to  the  jury  before  he  had  gotten  in  his 
evidence.  The  trained  finger  on  the  pulse 
should  detect  the  "high-tide  of  interest,"  and 
close  the  demonstration  at  this  point,  moving 
surely  and  swiftly  to  the  Closing. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Salesman  persists 


226  SALESMANSHIP 

in  talking  on,  rambling  and  wandering,  after 
he  has  made  a  particular  point,  or  all  of  his 
points,  he  runs  the  risk  of  losing  his  pros- 
pect's attention  and  interest,  and  with  it 
the  newly  awakened  inclination  and  desire. 
James  H.  Collins,  in  a  recent  article  in  ' '  The 
Saturday  Evening  Post,"  relates  the  follow- 
ing amusing  anecdote  illustrating  this  tend- 
ency on  the  part  of  the  Salesman : 

' '  How  easily  a  customer  may  be  talked  out 
of  buying  is  shown  by  the  experience  of  a 
real-estate  promoter  who  sells  New  York 
property  to  investors  in  other  cities  through 
a  staff  of  salesmen.  One  of  his  men  reported 
that  he  was  unable  to  close  an  elderly  German 
in  Pittsburg.  'I  Ve  explained  the  whole  prop- 
erty, '  said  the  salesman.  '  He  understands  the 
possibilities,  yet  doesn't  invest.'  Next  time 
the  promoter  was  in  Pittsburg  he  called  on 
this  investor,  accompanied  by  his  salesman. 
The  latter  explained  the  proposition  again 
most  exhaustively,  and  made  every  effort  to  be 
clear  and  convincing.  *  *  *  From  time 
to  time  the  investor  tried  to  interrupt,  but 
the  salesman  swept  on,  saying:  '  Just  a  mo- 
ment, and  I'll  take  that  point  up  with  you/ 


THE  CLOSING  227 

When  the  story  was  finished  he  recapitulated. 
When  that  was  finished  he  began  a  resume  of 
the  recapitulation  preparatory  to  rushing  the 
man.  Here  the  boss  felt  that  the  investor 
really  wanted  to  be  heard,  so  he  interrupted 
the  salesman:  ' Charlie,  I  guess  if  Mr.  Con- 
rad here  doesn't  realize  the  magnificent  op- 
portunities in  New  York  realty  after  all 
you  Ve  told  him,  there's  no  use  telling  him  any 
more.'  'Mein  gracious!'  protested  Conrad. 
'I  do  realize  them.  What  I  wanted  to  say  is 
that  I  will  take  these  lots.'  " 

There  is  a  sixth  sense,  or  intuitive  faculty 
developed  in  many  good  salesmen  which  tends 
to  inform  them  when  they  have  said  enough 
along  any  particular  line,  or  on  the  whole  sub- 
ject. In  the  midst  of  a  sentence,  or  after  the 
close  of  a  statement,  one  will  notice  a  subtle 
and  indefinable  change  in  the  manner  or  ex- 
pression of  the  prospect  which  informs  one 
that  it  is  time  to  stop,  and  "sum  up,"  or 
briefly  recapitulate.  And  this  i '  summing  up ' ' 
must  be  made  briefly,  and  to  the  point,  in  an 
earnest  manner.  It  should  be  made  in  a 
logical  order  and  sequence,  each  point  being 
driven  in  as  with  a  sledge  hammer  of  convic- 


228  SALESMANSHIP 

tion.  One  should  lay  especial  stress  upon  any 
points  in  which  the  prospect  seemed  interested 
during  the  Demonstration.  In  short  he  should 
fall  in  with  the  spirit  of  the  attorney  in  his 
closing  address,  in  which  he  sums  up  his 
strong  points,  always  with  an  -eye  on  the  jury 
which  he  has  carefully  watched  for  signs  of 
interest  during  the  progress  of  the  trial.  Each 
juryman's  character  is  represented  by  a 
faculty  in  the  mind  of  the  prospect— each 
should  be  appealed  to  along  its  own  particular 
lines. 

The  perception  of  the  "psychological  mo- 
ment" of  closing  the  selling  talk,  is  akin  to 
that  of  the  lawyer  who  leads  his  jury  up  to  a 
dramatic  and  logical  climax— and  then  stops. 
Avoid  creating  an  anti-climax.  Mr.  Collins 
in  the  magazine  article  mentioned  a  moment 
ago  says:  "The  chief  shortcoming  of  the 
salesman  who  has  difficulty  in  closing  is, 
usually,  that  he  doesn't  know  when  the  psy- 
chological moment  has  come  to  rush  his  man. 
This  is  a  very  definite  moment  in  every  deal. 
Veteran  salesman  gauge  it  in  various  ways, 
some  by  the  attention  their  argument  is  re- 
ceiving, others  by  some  sign  in  the  customer's 


THE  CLOSING  229 

eyes,  and  others  still  by  a  sort  of  sixth  sense 
which  seldom  leads  them  wrong.  *  *  *  If 
the  mechanism  of  a  representative  sale  could 
be  laid  bare  for  study  it  would  probably  ap- 
proximate the  mechanism  of  the  universe  in 
that  material  theory  by  which  the  philosophers 
explain  the  whole  thing  up  to  the  point  where 
a  slight  push  was  necessary  to  set  it  going 
eternally.  The  sale  of  the  man  who  doesn't 
close  is  technically  complete  except  for  the 
push  that  lands  the  order.  Sales  may  be  made 
by  patient  exposition  of  facts,  building  up  the 
case  for  the  goods.  But  to  close  them,  very 
often,  a  real  push  or  kick  is  needed.  Logic 
avails  up  to  the  moment  when  the  customer 
must  be  rushed." 

The  trouble  with  some  prospects  is  that 
they  have  practically  made  the  Decision— but 
do  not  know  they  have.  That  is,  they  have 
accepted  the  premises  of  the  argument;  ad- 
mitted the  logic  of  the  succeeding  argument 
and  demonstration;  can  see  no  escape  from 
the  conclusion— but  still  they  have  not  re- 
leased the  spring  of  formal  Decision  which 
settles  the  matter  with  a  mental  '  *  click. "  It  is 
the  Salesman's  business  to  produce  this  men- 


230  SALESMANSHIP 

tal  " click."  It  is  a  process  akin  to  "call- 
ing the  hand"  of  the  opponent  in  a  certain 
game  other  than  that  of  salesmanship.  It  is 
the  stage  in  which  the  matter  is  fairly  and 
squarely  "put  up"  to  the  prospect.  It  is  a 
situation  demanding  nerve  on  the  part  of  the 
Salesman — that  is  apparent  nerve,  for  it  is 
after  all  somewhat  of  a  bluff  on  his  part,  for 
although  he  wins  if  the  prospect  says  "Yes," 
he  does  not  necessarily  lose  if  the  answer  be 
"No!"  for  the  Salesman,  like  the  lover, 
should  never  let  one  "No"  discourage  him. 
"Never  take  'No!'  for  an  answer,"  says  the 
old  song— and  it  is  worth  remembering  by 
the  Salesman. 

The  "click"  of  Decision  is  often  produced 
by  the  Salesman  "putting  up"  some  strong 
question  or  statement  to  the  prospect,  which, 
in  the  popular  term,  "brings  him  to  his  feet." 
As  for  instance  the  closing  illustration  of  some 
of  the  National  Cash  Eegister  salesmen,  who 
after  having  demonstrated  the  merits  of  the 
cash  register  by  placing  in  it  the  "$7.16  of 
real  money,"  in  two-dollar  bills,  one-dollar 
bills,  silver  dollars,  half-dollars,  quarters, 
dimes,  nickles  and  pennies,  during  the  various 


CLOSING  231 


points  of  the  demonstration,  turns  suddenly 
to  the  prospect  and  says  to  him  :  '  i  Mr.  Blank, 
you  have  been  watching  every  coin  and  bill  I 
have  put  into  this  cash  drawer.  Now  how 
much  money  do  you  think  is  in  this  drawer?" 
Mr.  Blank  naturally  doesn't  know.  Then  the 
Salesman  proceeds  :  '  '  Well,  then,  if  you  have 
no  conception  of  the  amount  of  money  in  this 
drawer,  after  watching  me  put  every  coin  and 
bill  into  it,  far  more  closely  than  you  could 
possibly  watch  such  transactions  in  your  own 
store,  you  must  admit  you  are  guessing  every 
night  as  to  the  amount  that  should  be  in  your 
cash  drawer  in  your  store."  Pausing  a  mo- 
ment to  let  this  strong  point  sink  into  the 
prospect's  mind,  the  Salesman  then  says, 
earnestly  and  impressively:  "Mr.  Blank, 
don't  you  think  you  ought  to  have  a  register 
of  this  kind?"  Every  proposition  contains 
features  similar  to  the  one  noted  above,  which 
can  be  used  effectively  in  bringing  about  the 
"  click"  of  decision. 

In  some  cases  the  Suggestion  of  Imitation 
may  be  employed  at  this  stage  by  showing 
orders  from  others,  provided  they  are  of  im- 
portance. Some  men  do  not  like  this,  but 


232  SALESMANSHIP 

the  majority  are  influenced  by  the  example  of 
others  and  the  imitative  suggestion  prevails 
and  brings  down  the  scale  of  Decision.  In 
some  other  cases  the  Salesman  has  found  it 
advantageous  to  drop  into  a  serious,  earnest 
tone,  manifesting  a  spirit  akin  to  that  of  the 
earnest  worker  at  a  revival  meeting,  and  lay- 
ing his  hand  on  the  prospect's  arm,  impress 
upon  him  the  urgent  need  of  his  doing  this 
thing  for  his  own  good.  With  some  prospects 
this  plan  of  placing  the  hand  upon  him  in  a 
brotherly  spirit,  and  looking  him  earnestly  in 
the  eye,  results  in  the  final  warming  up  of 
conviction  and  decision— probably  from  the 
associated  suggestion  of  previous  solemn  ex- 
hortations and  friendly  counsel.  But  other 
men  resent  any  such  familiarity— one  must 
know  human  nature  in  using  this  method. 

Never  attempt  to  close  your  sale  in  the  pres- 
ence of  outsiders.  Always  defer  it  until  the 
prospect  is  alone,  and  you  have  his  undivided 
attention.  It  is  impossible  to  get  into  the 
"heart  to  heart "  rapport  in  the  presence  of 
other  people. 

You  may  sometimes  bring  about  the  De- 
cision by  asking  pointed  and  appropriate 


THE  CLOSING  233 

questions,  the  answer  of  which  must  act  to 
clinch  the  matter.  But  in  asking  these  ques- 
tions always  be  careful  not  to  ask  a  question 
which  may  easily  be  answered  by  a  "No." 
Never  say:  "Won't  you  buy?"  or  "Can't  I 
sell  you?"  These  questions,  and  others  like 
them  give  the  suggestion  of  a  negative  an- 
swer—they make  it  too  easy  for  the  prospect 
to  say  "No."  Eemember  what  we  have  said 
elsewhere  regarding  the  suggestions  of  ques- 
tions. Eemember  the  horrible  example  of 
"You  don't  want  to  buy  anything  to-day,  do 
you?"  And  also  remember  that  a  question 
preceded  by  an  affirmative  statement,  tends  to 
draw  forth  an  affirmative  answer.  As,  for  in- 
stance: "That  is  a  nice  day,  isn't  it;"  or, 
"This  is  a  beautiful  shade  of  pink,  isn't  it?;" 
or,  "This  is  quite  an  improvement,  isn't  it?" 
In  asking  the  important  question,  do  not  show 
any  doubt  in  your  tone,  manner  or  form  of 
expression.  Beware,  always,  of  makfing  a 
track  for  your  prospect  to 


travel  over.  The  mind  works  along  the  lines 
ofTeasl  resistance—  be  sure  you  make  that 
'  '  line^'  in  the  right  direction. 

In  cases  where  you  have  been  recommended 


234  SALESMANSHIP 

to  call  upon  a  person  by  a  friend  with  whom 
he  has  discussed  the  proposition,  you  may 
often  find  that  but  little  preliminary  talk  is 
needed,  and  you  may  proceed  to  the  Closing 
very  shortly  after  opening  the  conversation. 
In  these  cases,  the  prospect  often  has  "closed 
himself"  without  your  aid— he  wants  the 
thing  without  urging.  When  you  meet  this 
condition,  take  things  for  granted,  and  make 
Ihe  sale  just  as  you  would  if  the  prospect  had 
called  upon  you  to  make  the  purchase.  And 
in  any  and  every  case,  if  you  see  that  the  pros- 
pect has  "closed  himself,"  clinch  the  matter 
at  once.  And  you  can  readily  see  when  this 
stage  has  arrived.  After  all,  the  process  of 
discovering  the  "psychological  moment"  of 
"Closing  is  like  the  intuitive  discovery  of  the 
psychological  moment  for  "popping  the  ques- 
tion" in  courting.  At  certain  times  in  court- 
ing these  psychological  moments  arise— then 
is  the  time  to  "close."  And  the  same  rule 
holds  good  in  Salesmanship.  It  is  largely 
a  matter  of  feeling,  after  all. 

And,  in  Salesmanship,  as  in  courting,  re- 
member also  that  "Faint  Heart  never  won 
Fair  Lady."  Fortune  favors  the  brave. 


THE  CLOSING  235 

When  you  feel  the  psychological  urge  of  the 
moment— step  in!  Don't  be  afraid.  Remem- 
ber the  old  couplet: 

i '  Tender-handed  grasp  a  nettle,  and  it  stings 

you  for  your  pains. 
Grasp  it  like  a  man  of  mettle,  and  it  soft  as 

down  remains." 

"When  it  comes  to  the  psychological  moment, 
banish  fear  from  your  mind.  Show  spirit  and 
be ' '  game. ' *  You  have  got  to  make  the  plunge, 
and  take  the  risk  of  "  the  proposal"  some  time 
—why  not  now?  You  have  done  your  best, 
then  go  ahead.  Stand  up  and  take  your 
chance  like  a  man.  But  never  act  as  if  there 
is  any  chance  about  it— preserve  your  mental 
attitude  of  confident  expectation,  for  these 
.mental  states  are  contagious. 

If,  in  spite  of  everything,  the  Decision  be 
against  you,  do  not  be  discouraged.  If  you 
think  you  can  reverse  the  decision  by  a  little 
further  persuasion,  do  so  by  all  means.  Many 
a  battle  is  won,  after  it  has  apparently  been 
lost.  Few  maidens  expect  their  gallant  lad- 
dies to  accept  the  first  "No"  as  conclusive- 


236  SALESMANSHIP 

and  the  minds  of  many  buyers  work  in  the 
same  way.  There  is  a  certain  coyness  about 
maids,  and  prospects,  which  seems  to  call  for 
a  little  further  coaxing.  Many  prospects  yield 
only  at  the  final  appeal— they  are  like  Byron's 
heroine  who  ' '  saying  she  would  ne  'er  consent, 
consented. ' ' 

But  if  the  "No"  is  final,  take  it  good-na- 
turedly, and  without  show  of  resentment,  and 
assuming  an  "I  will  call  again  another  day" 
spirit,  bid  the  prospect  good-bye,  courteously, 
and  take  your  departure.  Many  subsequent 
sales  have  been  made  in  this  way— and  many 
have  been  lost  by  a  show  of  ill-nature.  The 
average  man  likes  a  game  fighter,  and  respects 
a  "good  loser."  Don't  give  up  at  anything 
short  of  a  "knock-out,"  but,  that  given,  shake 
hands  with  the  victor  good-naturedly,  amd 
then  proceed  to  lay  plans  for  another  inter- 
view. Good  nature  and  cheerfulness  under 
defeat  never  fail  to  make  friends,  and  to  dis- 
arm enemies. 

As  we  have  said  in  a  previous  chapter,  there 
is  sometimes  a  hitch  between  Decision  and 
Action.  The  spirit  of  procrastination  creeps 
in,  and  the  prospect  tries  to  put  off  the  actual 


THE  CLOSING  237 

order.  Try  to  overcome  this  by  "taking 
down"  the  order  at  once.  Do  not  allow  any 
wait  at  this  stage.  If  no  signed  order  is  neces- 
sary get  the  order  down  in  your  order  book  as 
quickly  as  possible  Have  your  order  book 
handy  so  that  no  awkward  wait  arises.  Avoid 
these  intervals  of  waiting  as  far  as  possible. 
Get  through  with  the  thing,  and  get  out. 

If  a  signed  order  is  required,  approach  the 
request  as  a  matter  of  course.  Do  not  assume 
the  air  of  asking  any  further  favor,  or  of 
needing  any  argument  regarding  the  signing. 
Treat  it  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  as  if  the 
matter  had  been  agreed  upon.  Do  not  say  ' '  I 
will  have  to  ask  you  to  sign,"  etc.,  but  say 
simply  "sign  here,  please,"  placing  your 
fountain  pen  at  the  "suggestive  slant,"  and 
in  his  direction,  indicating  the  line  at  the  same 
time.  Some  salesmen  even  touch  the  pen  to 
the  line,  starting  the  ink  flowing  and  the  sug- 
gestion operating  with  the  one  movement. 
Others  proceed,  calmly,  like  this :  "Let's  see, 
Mr.  Blank,  what  is  your  shipping  address 
(or  street  number)  ?"  adding,  "We  can  have 
these  goods  hereby  about  such-and-such  a 
date."  And  while  he  is  saying  this  they  are 


238  SALESLIAITSHIP 

filling  up  the  order  blank.  Then,  in  the  most 
matter  of  fact,  business-like  manner  they  lay 
the  order  before  the  prospect,  indicating  the 
line  for  signature,  and  saying :  ' '  Now,  if  you 
will  kindly  sign  here,  please,  Mr.  Blank." 
And  it  is  all  over. 

Always  have  the  order  blank,  or  book,  and 
the  fountain  pen  handy.  Avoid  fiddling 
around  after  the  pen  or  the  book,  or  both— 
this  is  suggestive  i'a  the  wrong  direction. 
Some  salesmen  lay  the  pen  on  top  of  the  order 
book,  and  place  them  easily  before  the  pros- 
pect while  talking.  Others  lay  the  pen  by  the 
side  of  the  book,  in  the  same  way.  Collins 
says :  ' '  One  of  the  leading  newspapers  in  the 
Middle  "West  has  a  school  for  the  canvassers 
who  solicit  subscriptions.  A  set  of  books  is 
sold  in  connection  with  a  year's  subscription 
to  this  paper,  and  the  solicitors  are  drilled  in 
old  fashioned  bookselling  tactics,  learning 
their  argument  by  rote.  At  the  precise  point 
where  the  signature  of  the  prospect  is  to  be 
secured  the  salesman  is  taught  to  take  his 
pencil  from  his  pocket,  drop  it  on  the  floor 
apparently  by  accident,  stoop  over  and  pick  it 
up  as  he  finishes  his  argument,  and  put  it  into 


THE  CLOSING  239 

the  prospect's  fingers  as  a  matter  of  course. 
Six  times  in  ten  the  signature  is  written  with- 
out more  argument."  The  psychological 
point  employed  here  is  evidently  that  of  dis- 
tracting the  prospect's  mind  from  his  or- 
dinary objection,  and  attracting  his  attention 
to  the  recovered  pencil.  A  similar  proceeding 
is  that  followed  by  certain  salesmen  who  carry 
a  large  fountain  pen  with  a  rubber  band 
wrapped  around  the  handle.  Talking  cheer- 
fully, they  drop  the  pen  on  the  prospect's 
desk,  close  to  his  hand.  The  rubber  band 
makes  it  fall  noiselessly,  and  prevents  it  from 
rolling.  The  prospect  is  said  usually  to  in- 
voluntarily pick  up  the  pen,  and  move  it  to- 
ward the  order  book  which  has  been  deftly 
placed  before  him,  and,  then,  still  absorbed  in 
the  talk  of  the  Salesman,  he  signs  the  order 
blank.  These  methods  are  given  for  what 
they  are  worth,  and  in  the  way  of  illustrating 
a  psychological  principle.  Personally,  we  do 
not  favor  these  methods,  and  prefer  the  ortho- 
dox fountain  pen,  courteously  handed  the 
prospect,  at  the  "suggestive  slant,"  with  pos- 
sibly the  point  touching  the  line  as  an  illustra- 


240  SALESMANSHIP 

tion  of  the  "on  this  line,  please,"  which  ac- 
companies it. 

The  principle  to  be  observed  in  all  cases 
where  orders  have  to  be  signed,  receipts  made 
out,  etc.,  is  to  make  the  process  as  easy  as 
possible  for  the  prospect.  Let  him  work  along 
the  line  of  the  least  resistance.  Avoid  giving 
him  the  adverse  suggestion  of  "red  tape," 
formality,  "iron-clad  contracts,"  etc.  Act 
upon  the  principle  of  the  young  man  who  when 
he  asked  his  father  for  money  would  say  it 
very  smoothly  and  rapidly  "twenty  dollars 
please,"  as  if  it  were  twenty  cents.  Smooth 
away  every  item  of  delay  and  friction,  and 
adopt  the  "rubber  tire  and  ball  bearings" 
mental  attitude  and  mode  of  procedure. 

Eegarding  the  much  disputed  and  vexing 
question  of  the  interval  between  Decision  and 
Action,  and  the  frequent  failure  of  Decision 
to  take  form  in  Action— which  question,  by  the 
way,  is  very  important  in  the  Closing  of  the 
Salesman— -we  ask  you  to  read  the  following 
from  the  pen  of  Prof.  "William  James,  the 
eminent  psychologist : 

""We  know  what  it  is  to  get  out  of  bed  on  a 
freezing  morning  in  a  room  without  a  fire,  and 


THE  CLOSING  241 

how  the  very  vital  principle  within  us  pro- 
tests against  the  ordeal.  Probably  most  per- 
sons have  lain  on  certain  mornings  for  an  hour 
at  a  time  unable  to  brace  themselves  to  the  re- 
solve. We  think  how  late  we  shall  be,  how 
the  duties  of  the  day  will  suffer;  we  say,  'I 
must  get  up,  this  is  ignominious,"  etc.;  but 
still  the  warm  couch  feels  too  delicious,  the 
cold  outside  too  cruel,  and  resolution  faints 
away  and  postpones  itself  again  and  again 
just  as  it  seemed  on  the  verge  of  bursting  the 
resistance  and  passing  over  into  the  decisive 
act.  Now  how  do  we  ever  get  up  under  such 
circumstances?  If  I  may  generalize  from  my 
own  experience,  we  more  often  than  not  get 
up  without  any  struggle  or  decision  at  all. 
We  suddenly  find  that  we  have  to  get  up.  A 
fortunate  lapse  of  consciousness  occurs;  we 
forget  both  the  warmth  and  the  cold ;  we  fall 
into  some  reverie  connected  with  the  day's  life, 
in  the  course  of  which  the  idea  flashes  across 
us, ' Hello !  I  must  lie  here  no  longer'— an  idea 
which  at  that  lucky  instant  awakens  no  con- 
tradictory or  paralyzing  suggestions,  and  con- 
sequently produces  immediately  its  appro- 
priate motor  effects.  It  was  our  acute  con- 


242  SALESMANSHIP 

sciousness  of  both  the  Warmth  and  cold  dur- 
ing the  period  of  struggle,  which  paralyzed 
our  activity  then  and  kept  our  idea  of  rising 
in  the  condition  of  wish  and  not  of  will.  The 
moment  these  inhibitory  ideas  ceased,  the 
original  idea  exerted  its  effects.  This  case 
seems  to  me  to  contain  in  miniature  form  the 
data  for  an  entire  psychology  of  volition/' 
Prof.  James,  in  another  place,  gives  the 
following  additional  hint  of  the  process  of 
transmuting  the  Decision  into  Action :  '  '  Let 
us  call  the  last  idea  which  in  the  mind  precedeis 
the  motor  discharge, '  the  motor-cue '  *  *  * 
There  can  ]be  no  doubt  whatever  that  the 
cue  may  be  an  image  either  of  the  resident  or 
the  remote  kind. ' ' 

It  will  be  seen  then  that  the  " motor  cue" 
which  releases  the  spring  of  Action— the  men- 
tal trigger  which  fires  the  gun  of  will-— may 
easily  be  some  remote  idea  suggested  to  the 
mind,  as  for  instance  the  sight  of  the  slanted 
fountain  pen  and  order  book.  The  man  wants 
,  to,  but  does  not  feel  like  getting  out  of  bed, 
and  his  mind  becomes  inactive  on  the  question. 
If  some  friend  h^d  said  to  him,  "Come,  get 
out  old  fellow;"  or  if  he  had  had  his  mind 


THE  CLOSING  243 

suddenly  attracted  by  some  outside  sound  or 
sight,  he  would  have  sprung  out  at  once.  As 
we  have  said,  elsewhere,  the  placing  of  a  piece 
of  twisted  paper  in  the  ear  of  a  horse  will 
cause  him  to  forget  his  balkiness— it  changes 
his  current  of  thought.  Any  new  impulse  will 
tend  to  get  a  man  over  his  period  of  "I  want 
to  but  I  don't"  mental  hesitancy.  We  may 
have  given  you  the  psychology  of  the  thing 
here— you  must  work  it  out  in  the  details  of  ap- 
plication to  suit  your  own  requirements.  Learn 
to  show  your  prospect  something  that  will 
cause  him  to  spring  out  of  bed.  Learn  to  stick 
the  piece  of  twisted  paper  in  his  ear,  to  over- 
come his  balkiness.  Give  him  the  "  motor 
cue"  by  supplying  him  with  a  mental  image 
1  '  either  of  the  resident  or  remote  kind. ' '  Like 
the  boy  shivering  on  the  brink  of  the  stream, 
he  needs  but- a  "little  shove"  to  make  him  take 
the  plunge.  Then  he  will  call  to  others: 
"Come  on  in,  the  water's  fine." 

And,  now  in  conclusion:  You  have  the 
signed  order,  but  you  must  continue  your 
Mental  Attitude  until  you  fade  from  the  pros- 
pect's  sight.  Do  not  gush  or  become  maudlin, 
as  we  have  seen  salesmen  do.  Maintain  your 


244  SALESMANSHIP 

balance,  and  thank  your  customer  courteously, 
but  not  as  the  recipient  of  alms.  Keep  up  his 
good  impression  of  and  respect  for  you  to 
the  last.  Leave  the  prospect  with  this  thought 
radiating  from  your  mind :  "I  have  done  this 
man  a  good  turn."  The  prospect  will  catch 
these  subtle  vibrations,  in  some  way  not  worth 
discussing,  and  he  too  will  feel  that  he  has 
done  well.  Avoid  the  "Well,  I  landed  this 
chap,  all  right,  all  right  V9  mental  attitude, 
which  shows  so  plainly  in  the  manner  of  some 
salesmen  after  they  have  booked  an  order. 
The  prospect  will  catch  those  vibrations  also, 
and  will  not  like  it— he  will  resent  it,  naturally. 
In  short,  you  would  do  well  to  follow  the 
homely  but  scientific  advice  of  the  old  sales- 
man who  said :  * '  Keep  your  sugar-coating  on 
to  the  last— leave  'em  with  a  pleasant  taste 
in  their  mouths. ' 9  Make  a  good  Last  Impres- 
sion as  well  as  a  good  First  Impression. 

But— and  remember  this  also— get  away 
when  your  work  is  over.  Do  not  hang  around 
the  office  or  store  of  the  prospect  after  the  sale 
is  made.  Do  not  place  yourself  in  a  position 
where  some  newly  discovered  objection  will 
cause  you  to  do  your  work  all  over  again.  You 


THE  CLOSING  245 

have  got  what  you  came  for —now  get  out! 
As  Macbain  says:  "When  the  close  is  made 
the  customer  should  be  left  in  the  shortest  pos- 
sible time  that  may  not  be  characterized  as 
abrupt.  Having  'talked  a  man  into  a  sale,' 
the  salesman  should  be  careful  not  to  talk  him 
out.  The  old  adage, '  Stop  praising  the  goods 
after  the  sale  is  made, '  is  as  true  as  it  is  trite. ' ' 
Collins  very  aptly  says  on  this  point :  ' '  The 
explainer  type  of  salesman  may  actually  sell 
goods  to  a  customer  and  then,  by  staying  and 
talking,  unsell  him  without  knowing  it. 
One  afternoon  not  long  ago,  for  in- 
stance, a  salesman  sold  eleven  thousand  dol- 
lars' worth  of  fabrics  to  a  prominent  merchant 
and,  by  staying  for  a  friendly  chat  after  the 
order  had  been  secured,  gave  the  merchant 
time  to  think  twice  and  cancel  it.  An  excel- 
lent rule  is  that  of  a  salesman  who  built  up  a 
business  to  a  quarter  million  in  competition 
with  wealthy  competitors,  doing  this  by  sheer 
selling  ability.  'Take  the  first  train  out  of 
town  after  you  sell  your  man,'  was  his  rule. 
If  there  was  no  train  for  several  hours  he  ex- 
cused himself  the  moment  a  deal  was  closed, 
and  disappeared.  'Just  as  sure  as  I  stayed 


246  SALESMANSHIP 

around  after  that  order  was  in  my  pocket,'  lie 
says,  'part  of  it  would  be  cancelled  or  modified 
by  the  buyer,  or  some  of  my  work  in  selling 
undone.  If  it  were  nothing  else  the  buyer 
would  play  on  the  fact  that  I  felt  good  about 
getting  that  order,  and  squeeze  something 
extra  out  of  me. ?  When  you  land  your  man 
get  out  of  sight." 

And,  taking  our  own  advice,  kind  reader, 
we,  having  said  our  say  and  "closed,"  will 
now  take  our  departure.  We  thank  you  for 
your  kind  attention,  and  feel  that  we  "have 
done  you  a  good  turn." 


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